Understanding Marginalized Communities’ Perspectives for Relevant Reproductive Policy

Historically, reproductive health is one of the primary sites of advocacy for the US women’s movement. This article considers how contemporary reproductive justice advocates articulate their policy goals amidst renewed national attention to abortion activism. Through content analysis of national policy agendas produced by different constituent groups, this study focuses on the voices of activists themselves. This study finds that health care appeared in the top five topics for all the Agendas, indicating how for these communities, basic health care needs are rarely met. Further, even as new barriers to abortion were clearly visible, the reproductive justice Agendas emphasize advocating for national policies in a range of arenas that go further than protecting abortion access. This article makes empirical and theoretical contributions to understanding of non-elites perceptions of policy making.