The Forgotten Reproductive Justice Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King

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The Forgotten Reproductive Justice Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King
1/18/2021 by Michele Goodwin

Updated Jan. 13, 2023, at 8:29 a.m. PT


The Forgotten Reproductive Justice Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King“There is scarcely anything more tragic in human life than a child who is not wanted. That which should be a blessing becomes a curse for parent and child,” Coretta Scott King read in 1966. (Library of Congress)

“Unlike plagues of the dark ages or contemporary diseases we do not yet understand, the modern plague of overpopulation is soluble by means we have discovered and with resources we possess. What is lacking is not sufficient knowledge of the solution but universal consciousness of the gravity of the problem and education of the billions who are its victims.”

—Coretta Scott King delivering a speech on behalf of her husband on May 5, 1966, called “Family Planning – A Special and Urgent Concern by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.”

On the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and I reviewed Khiara Bridges’s compelling book, The Poverty of Privacy Rights, in the Yale Law Journal. In rereading Dr. King’s pivotal speeches, sermons and commentary, one is easily struck by his profound wisdom on matters related to race, class, reproductive autonomy, health and women’s equality. What is old is new again. In 1966, King wrote a landmark speech on reproductive health and rights for his acceptance of Planned Parenthood’s inaugural Margaret Sanger award.

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Despite the many “mountainous obstacles” facing the Black community, King insisted that a key element of stabilizing Black life, “would be an understanding of and easy access to the means to develop a family related in size to his community environment and to the income potential he can command.” Perhaps for this reason, Dr. King recognized the civil rights movement and advocacy for family planning as “natural allies” seeking to “guarantee … the right to exist in freedom and dignity.”

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Dr. King described family planning as “a special and urgent concern.” His speech—his words—show a recognition that reproductive autonomy is directly linked to women’s freedom, liberty, dignity and health. The contrasts between the conversations taking place in the public sphere now versus then are striking.

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Dr. King would likely be horrified by the state’s oversized role in determining how and when women can control their reproductive health. He explicated the urgency and necessity to pay close attention to the dignity of poor women, especially poor women of color. He recognized the profound cruelty and indignity associated with the stigmatization of poor mothers.

https://msmagazine.com/2021/01/18/martin-luther-king-women-abortion-planned-parenthood-abortion-coretta-scott-king/