Episode 305: The Politics of Reproduction

As the U.S. birth rate continues to decline, some politicians are calling for policies that encourage Americans to have more children, otherwise known as pronatalism—even as abortion access, contraception, and maternal health care face growing challenges. Professor Carolette Norwood explains what pronatalism is, why debates over population growth are often intertwined with race and immigration, and how these conversations intersect with reproductive justice and policy.

For more on this topic:

• Read an interview with Norwood in The Hilltop, Pronatalism and the Politics of Childbirth

• Check out her article, More than Abortion: Why Reproductive Justice Matters in Cincinnati Post-Roe, co-written with Thembi Carr and published in the Journal of Women, Politics & Policy

• Read her paper, Forced to Birth: A Case Study of Ohio's Six-Week Abortion Ban, Its Impact on Black Women in Cincinnati and Its Relevance for Reproductive Justice in Ohio and Beyond, published in Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine