Privacy, Poverty and The State

November 06, 2017 • 12:30 PM • Law School 3037

Professor Goodwin discusses her paper marking the eve of the 50th anniversary of Dr. King's death. Drawing from his 1966 acceptance speech of Planned Parenthood's Margaret Sanger award, she highlights Dr. King's commitment to reproductive justice and rights. She explains that despite Dr. King's vision for future wherein family planning would not be stunted by "unjust laws," stunningly these challenges in our society remain. Examples of this can be found in recent federal legislation to revise Title X, granting states the authority to exclude providers that perform abortions from the program-even though such clinics are the only local options for most poor women in the United States. The paper issues a warning call, highlighting the ramifications of trampling reproductive privacy and rights, including increased rates of unintended pregnancies, entrenchment of poverty, and even maternal mortality. Sponsored by ACS, WLSA and If/When/How. For more information, please contact Stephanie Funk at stephanie.funk@duke.edu.