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Distorting the Reconstruction: A Reflection on Dobbs

Goodwin, Michele
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Yale Journal of Law & Feminism
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Abstract
History will likely record Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization1 as the most devastating case of the Supreme Court’s 2021 term and perhaps one of the worst Supreme Court decisions of all time. However, the Dobbs decision offers an opportunity to revisit the damaged path to reproductive freedom, dating back to American slavery and bridge pathways forward with better understanding. This Essay offers a reflection on Dobbs, speaking to the origins of reproductive autonomy and justice concerns that preexisted Reconstruction. The Essay argues that by examining the antebellum archive, a different type of slavery and involuntary servitude comes into view, namely the involuntary reproductive servitude imposed on Black girls and women.
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http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13051/18245