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Having Children
From: Abortion to Abolition
$1.90
While the struggle for abortion access and the right not to have children is dominant in the history of white feminism, protecting the right to have children is just as vital, and an issue that disproportionately a Black and Indigenous struggle. This chapter explores reproductive justice and forced sterilization and eugenics, racism and decolonization, and LGBTQ+ issues in Canada. The first section of this chapter (Leilani Muir) tells the story of an abused and unwanted child who was cruelly diagnosed as a “moron,” institutionalized at age ten and sterilized at age fourteen. The second section of this chapter describes the history of federal legislation governing assisted reproductive services, and how Leia Picard saw a business opportunity in the gaps in regulation. The third section of this chapter describes how Kirsti Mathers McHenry, who was legally married and legally permitted to adopt children, still had to fight for the right to be on her child’s birth certificate.
Contributors
Martha Paynter
Martha Paynter is a registered nurse providing abortion and postpartum care in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The founder and chair of Wellness Within: An Organization for Health and Justice, and a doctoral candidate at the Dalhousie University School of Nursing, Martha has 20 years of experience working to advance gender health equity. Her practice, teaching and research focus on the intersection of reproductive health and the justice system. A frequent contributor to Briarpatch, CBC, the Coast, the Conversation, the Halifax Examiner, and Saltwire, Martha writes about publicly-funded health care, prison abolition, and gender equity.
