Ableism is the system of beliefs, practices, and policies rooted in White Supremacy that devalue and discriminate against disabled people. It assumes that certain bodies and minds are more worthy, capable, or “normal” than others and it punishes those who don’t meet those standards.

Ableism shows up in healthcare, education, employment, and criminal legal systems. It justifies denying people care, autonomy, and support especially disabled people who are also Black, Indigenous, queer, undocumented, or poor.

In the context of decriminalization, ableism leads to the criminalization of behavior seen as “noncompliant,” forced sterilization, denial of reproductive and parenting rights, institutionalization, and violence against people with disabilities particularly those with intellectual, developmental, or psychiatric disabilities.

Decriminalization means rejecting the idea that disability is a problem to be fixed or hidden. It means fighting for access, agency, and community care, not control.

A medical procedure to end a pregnancy.

The medical or surgical termination of a pregnancy before the fetus can survive independently outside the womb. Abortion is a fundamental aspect of reproductive justice, recognizing the right of individuals to make decisions about their bodies, including whether to continue or end a pregnancy. In the reproductive justice framework, abortion is viewed as essential healthcare that must be accessible, safe, and free from legal, financial, or social barriers. Decriminalization of abortion means that individuals should not be criminalized or face legal penalties for seeking or providing abortion care. Marginalized communities, particularly Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+ individuals, and low-income folks, are disproportionately impacted by abortion restrictions, including legal barriers, stigma, and a lack of access to services. Reproductive justice advocates fight for the decriminalization of abortion to ensure that everyone can make their own reproductive choices with full autonomy, dignity, and support, free from systemic punishment or interference.

The ability for pregnant people to get safe and legal abortions without obstacles or barriers.

Instead of looking at the legality of whether or not a person has the right to an abortion, abortion access looks more deeply at the practicality. For example, are there operating abortion clinics close by? Do you need access to transportation?

Are you able to take time off of work? Can you afford the procedure or the medications you need? Discriminatory bans, like the Hyde Amendment which prohibits the use of federal funds for abortion services, makes abortion that much harder to access for people who are on state-supported insurance like Medicaid.   

A law that restricts or prohibits abortion, making it harder for people to access the procedure. A ban is a legislative measure that prohibits or severely restricts access to abortion services.

Abortion bans can range from blanket prohibitions on abortion after a certain point in pregnancy, such as the six-week ban (often referred to as "heartbeat bills"), to complete bans with limited or no exceptions. Abortion bans are seen as part of a broader strategy to undermine reproductive rights, particularly for marginalized communities, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+ individuals, and low-income folks, who are disproportionately affected by these laws. These bans not only infringe on the right to bodily autonomy but also create significant barriers to accessing safe and legal abortion care, often forcing people to travel long distances or seek unsafe alternatives. Advocates for reproductive justice push for the repeal of abortion bans and the decriminalization of abortion, emphasizing the importance of equitable access to reproductive healthcare and the recognition of individuals’ autonomy in making reproductive decisions.

An organization that directly supports people seeking abortions. Some funds provide money for abortion procedures. Others help arrange travel, childcare, food, and supplies. Many abortion funds offer other reproductive health and justice services in their communities.

Organizations that provide financial assistance to individuals seeking an abortion, particularly those who face economic barriers to access. Abortion funds help cover the costs of the procedure, travel, accommodation, and other related expenses, which are often a significant burden for low-income individuals and marginalized communities. These funds are a critical component of reproductive justice, as they work to remove financial obstacles to abortion access, ensuring that everyone, regardless of income, can make decisions about their reproductive health. Abortion funds often prioritize serving Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+ individuals, and other underserved groups who face the greatest barriers to care. These funds are essential in supporting individuals in exercising their reproductive rights, especially in the face of restrictive abortion laws and financial inequities.

The idea that access to abortion is a matter of social justice, ensuring that everyone can make their own reproductive choices.

Medications used to terminate pregnancy safely. The term “abortion pills” could mean the medications mifepristone and misoprostol taken together or misoprostol taken alone. Sometimes, abortion pills are prescribed by a medical professional, and sometimes people take abortion pills without the involvement of a medical professional, which is called a self-managed abortion (SMA). See “Self-managed Abortion.” 

A medical professional or facility that offers abortion services.

A healthcare professional or facility that offers abortion services, including medical and surgical procedures to terminate a pregnancy. Abortion providers are crucial in ensuring equitable access to reproductive healthcare, and they include doctors, nurse practitioners, midwives, and clinics that specialize in reproductive health. In the context of reproductive justice, abortion providers are recognized not only for offering safe and legal abortion care, but also for creating supportive, non-judgmental environments where individuals can make informed decisions about their reproductive health. Due to legal restrictions and stigmatization, abortion providers—especially in states with restrictive laws—often face unique challenges in maintaining services, and their work is essential in protecting the autonomy and rights of marginalized communities, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+ individuals, and low-income folks.

Any pregnant person trying to access an abortion. These folks often need to find financial and logistical support to remove the barriers between them and the abortion they want and need.

A person who speaks up and supports a particular issue or group. Often, these folks try to raise awareness and promote change.

Someone who’s on the same side as you. Often used to describe someone who takes a stand against oppression or discrimination who is not a member of the oppressed group — for example, a white person who speaks out against racism or a straight person who speaks out against homophobia.

A person who is not impacted but is in deep solidarity work can also be called an accomplice.

Fake abortion clinics that often do not offer any actual medical care and use false or misleading information to discourage people from choosing abortion.

A proposed law or legislative measure that is under consideration by a legislative body, such as Congress, a state legislature, or a local government. In reproductive justice, bills can address a variety of issues, including access to abortion, reproductive healthcare, birth control, decriminalization of pregnancy outcomes, and the protection of reproductive rights. Bills are often the starting point for changing or creating laws, and their passage can either support or restrict the rights of marginalized communities, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+ individuals, and others who are disproportionately impacted by unjust policies. Activists, organizers, and reproductive justice advocates work to influence, amend, or oppose bills that affect access to healthcare and bodily autonomy. 

Along with the underlying homophobia and transphobia, bias against queer and trans people shows up in both subtle and overt ways from daily discrimination to laws that deny access to healthcare, housing, employment, or legal recognition. This bias is rooted in white supremacy, patriarchy, and colonial ideas of gender and sexuality that attempt to control how people live, love, and exist.

In the context of decriminalization, queer and trans people especially Black and Brown folks are often profiled, policed, and criminalized simply for surviving. This includes being denied gender-affirming care, targeted by anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, punished for parenting, or placed in unsafe conditions while incarcerated.

Decriminalization means rejecting the systems that punish queer and trans people for being who they are. It means fighting for safety, dignity, and bodily autonomy for all of us not just those who fit into narrow definitions of gender, family, or identity.

Birth justice is a movement focused on achieving equity in pregnancy and birth experiences, particularly for Black women and women of color, by addressing systemic inequalities and empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their reproductive health. It aims to dismantle reproductive oppression and ensure safe, supportive, and empowering birthing experiences for all.

Bodily autonomy means having the agency to decide what you do with your own body in all manner of forms. It includes being able to decide if and when you would like to be pregnant, how you express your gender identity, who you love, and how you create your family.

Classism is the systemic oppression of poor and working-class people, rooted in the belief that wealth, income, or social status determine a person’s value. It shows up in how resources, opportunities, and power are distributed—punishing people for being poor while rewarding wealth and privilege.

In the context of decriminalization, classism fuels laws that target low-income people for how they survive: through informal economies, parenting while poor, using substances, or lacking access to stable housing or healthcare. It justifies surveillance, criminal charges, and family separation, especially for Black, Brown, disabled, queer, and undocumented people.

Classism says poverty is a personal failure. We say poverty is political and no one should be punished for not having what they need.

Decriminalization means building systems rooted in care, not control—where everyone has what they need to live with dignity, regardless of income or class.

Reproductive coercion is a form of abuse where someone controls another person’s reproductive decisions. This could include forcing someone to have sex, get pregnant or end a pregnancy. 

A form of abuse where one person pressures, manipulates, or forces another person to make reproductive choices, such as becoming pregnant or terminating a pregnancy. Reproductive coercion can include physical, emotional, or psychological pressure and can occur in intimate partner relationships, within families, or in healthcare settings. This form of abuse is often overlooked in discussions of reproductive rights but is an important issue in reproductive justice.

The process by which certain actions or outcomes related to pregnancy, such as abortion, miscarriage, or substance use during pregnancy, are treated as criminal offenses. This criminalization disproportionately affects marginalized communities, including Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC), and low-income individuals, who often face legal penalties, surveillance, or punishment for their reproductive decisions. Reproductive justice advocates push to end the criminalization of pregnancy-related outcomes, focusing on health and social services rather than punitive measures.

The U.S. Supreme Court case that held the U.S. Constitution does not grant the right to abortion. This landmark decision overturned Roe v. Wade.

 Post-Dobbs refers to the period after the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court case in 2022.

Post-Roe: Refers to the period after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Trigger Bans were laws that automatically banned or restricted abortion when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

The process of removing criminal penalties and legal consequences associated with reproductive and bodily autonomy choices. This includes actions like abortion, miscarriage management, drug use during pregnancy, and other reproductive health decisions. Decriminalization also extends to the criminalization of marginalized communities, such as trans and non-binary individuals, people of color, and low-income folks, who often face legal consequences for their reproductive choices and bodily autonomy. The goal is to end the systemic policing of reproductive decisions, including healthcare access, parenting, and gender-affirming care, and to treat these issues as health and social matters, not criminal acts.

According to the United Nations “Domestic abuse, also called "domestic violence" or "intimate partner violence", can be defined as a pattern of behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. Abuse is physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person.”

The term, popularized by Professor Dorothy Roberts, represents the realities of the group of state-level agencies that constitute what is often called the “child protective” or “child welfare” system. While the stated goal of this system is to protect children and promote their welfare, the reality is often state regulation and surveillance of children’s families in a fashion that harms rather than helps.

A legal concept that extends all legal and constitutional protections to fetuses (and often fertilized eggs and embryos), including the right to life.

This legal concept has been used to assert that ending a pregnancy is equivalent to murder; the specific definition varies from state to state, but some form of criminal feticide exists in 38 states.

The legal notion that a fetus has independent legal rights, including the right to life, can limit or override the rights of the pregnant person. This concept is used to justify the criminalization of abortion, restrict reproductive rights, and challenge bodily autonomy. In reproductive justice, fetal personhood is contested because it undermines the autonomy and decision-making power of the person who is pregnant.

Gender-affirming care (GAC) is life-saving healthcare for transgender people, including mental health, medical, and social services, and is medically necessary. GAC refers to a range of evidence-based treatments that support transgender and nonbinary individuals in aligning their physical characteristics with their gender identity. This care can include gender-affirming hormone therapy (also known as hormone replacement therapy), puberty blockers, voice therapy, and gender-affirming surgery, all of which are provided under the supervision of medical professionals. 

GAC is recognized by major medical organizations as essential and life-saving, helping to reduce gender dysphoria and improve mental health outcomes. Contrary to common misconceptions, these treatments are based on decades of research and follow rigorous medical guidelines to ensure patient safety and well-being. It is often misunderstood that GAC is solely for trans and gender nonconforming individuals. The reality is that cis people utilize GAC too.

House Bill 441, which was reintroduced during Georgia legislative session in early 2025, was an extreme and politically motivated measure that would criminalize abortion at all stages of pregnancy by establishing legal personhood at fertilization. If passed, HB 441 would make Georgia one of only 13 states with a total abortion ban, imposing severe penalties, including loss of medical licenses, imprisonment, and even capital punishment.

This bill is problematic because it follows a series of increasingly restrictive abortion measures in Georgia, including the 2019 LIFE Act that banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. That law took effect in 2022 after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Instead of addressing Georgia’s urgent healthcare crisis, including the state’s ranking as the worst in the nation for maternal mortality and the highest rate of rural hospital closures, lawmakers are pushing an agenda that makes reproductive healthcare even more dangerous, costly, and inaccessible.

A controversial piece of legislation passed in Georgia in 2019, also known as the "heartbeat bill," which bans most abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically around six weeks of pregnancy. It is important to note that at six weeks, there is no actual "heartbeat" as commonly understood—what the bill refers to is an electrical pulse, which is not the same as a fully formed heartbeat.

The law is particularly problematic because many people are unaware they are pregnant at six weeks, making it effectively a near-total ban on abortion. In reproductive justice, HB 481 is seen as a harmful policy that disproportionately impacts marginalized communities, particularly Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), low-income individuals, and people living in rural areas who have less access to reproductive healthcare. Advocates argue that the law is rooted in a history of criminalizing reproductive choices and restricting bodily autonomy, and they continue to fight for the full decriminalization of abortion and reproductive rights for all people.

Health equity is the concept that everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible, which includes access to reproductive healthcare. It goes beyond the idea of equality (everyone receiving the same treatment) and acknowledges the need to address the underlying social, economic, and political factors that cause disparities in health outcomes. In reproductive justice, health equity emphasizes the need for equal access to comprehensive reproductive care and the removal of barriers caused by race, income, gender, or geography.

First enacted in 1977, this amendment prohibits federal funding for abortion under the Medicaid program even when an abortion is medically necessary, except in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment.

The state of being confined in prison or jail, often as a result of criminal charges or convictions. In reproductive justice, incarceration is recognized as a system that disproportionately affects marginalized communities, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+ individuals, and low-income folks.

The criminal justice system's treatment of incarcerated individuals often violates their rights to bodily autonomy, including their reproductive rights. For example, incarcerated pregnant people may face barriers to accessing prenatal care, abortion, or other reproductive healthcare, and they may be forced into sterilization, shackling during labor, or other forms of abuse. Reproductive justice advocates work to end the criminalization of pregnancy outcomes and the over-policing of marginalized communities, advocating for the rights of incarcerated individuals to access compassionate, equitable, and comprehensive reproductive healthcare.

A person who, by virtue of their profession, is legally required to report observed or suspected child neglect or endangerment, physical abuse, sexual abuse, or other types of mistreatment of children. This includes those working with the family regulation system, schools, health care systems, and other institutions.

Within the context of decriminalization, Pregnancy Justice asserts that healthcare providers and other mandated reporters have an obligation to act in the best interests of their patients. This includes an “ethical responsibility to place patients’ welfare above the physician’s own self-interest or obligations to others.” And yet, there is a long history of healthcare providers reporting pregnant women, predominantly women of color, to state authorities for things they think might be illegal or that they otherwise disapprove of. Far from protecting the health or wellbeing of a pregnant woman or her fetus, these decisions by healthcare providers create dangerous and life-threatening barriers to access.

A pregnancy loss before 20 weeks.

The spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before the 20th week. This is a common and deeply personal experience that can be emotionally and physically challenging. When pregnancy loss occurs after 20 weeks, it is typically referred to as a stillbirth, which is considered a different medical and legal category.

In reproductive justice, miscarriage is understood as a health issue that requires compassionate, non-judgmental care, and the right to make informed decisions about the process, including medical treatment and emotional support. People experiencing miscarriage, particularly those from marginalized communities such as Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+ individuals, and low-income folks often face disparities in the care and support they receive. Reproductive justice advocates work to ensure that all individuals, regardless of when a pregnancy loss occurs, have access to equitable healthcare, mental health services, and the dignity they deserve in navigating their experiences.

A local law or regulation enacted by a city, town, or county government. In the context of reproductive justice, ordinances can address issues such as local access to reproductive healthcare, decriminalization of pregnancy outcomes, or protections against discrimination in healthcare settings.

Ordinances can also be used to safeguard the rights of marginalized communities, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+ individuals, and low-income folks, by ensuring equitable access to care and preventing the criminalization of reproductive choices at the local level. While ordinances typically apply within a specific jurisdiction, they can have significant impacts by creating local protections or pushing forward broader policy changes.

Patriarchy is a system of power that privileges men—especially cisgender, straight men—and upholds rigid gender roles, control over bodies, and dominance over women, femmes, queer, trans, and nonbinary people. It is rooted in the belief that some people are naturally meant to lead, while others are meant to serve, reproduce, or stay silent.

In the context of criminalization, patriarchy shows up in laws that police gender, control reproductive decisions, punish survivors of gender-based violence, and erase or harm trans and nonbinary people. It fuels systems that strip people of their autonomy, especially when they are poor, Black, Brown, disabled, or undocumented.

Patriarchy teaches control as protection, but reproductive justice asserts that care is protection. Decriminalization means dismantling patriarchal systems and building a world where all people of all genders can live with freedom, safety, and dignity.

Critical Resistance defines “policing” as a social relationship made up of a set of practices that are empowered by the state to enforce law and social control through the use of force.  Reinforcing the oppressive social and economic relationships that have been central to the US throughout its history, the roots of policing in the United States are closely linked the capture of people escaping slavery, and the enforcement of Black Codes.  Similarly, police forces have been used to keep new immigrants “in line” and to prevent the poor and working classes from making demands. As social conditions change, how policing is used to target poor people, people of color, immigrants, and others who do not conform on the street or in their homes also shifts.  The choices policing requires about which people to target, what to target them for, and when to arrest and book them play a major role in who ultimately gets imprisoned.

The end of a pregnancy before the fetus can survive independently outside the womb. This can occur naturally, often referred to as miscarriage, or it can be medically induced through an abortion or other medical interventions.

In reproductive justice, the experience of pregnancy loss or termination is understood as a deeply personal and individual decision, and everyone has the right to access compassionate, non-judgmental care regardless of their reason for seeking an abortion or experiencing pregnancy loss. This encompasses a wide spectrum of experiences, from the medical management of miscarriage to the elective termination of pregnancy, and includes the recognition of the emotional, physical, and societal impacts that marginalized groups, especially BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and low-income communities often face when navigating these experiences.

According to Critical Resistance, the prison industrial complex (PIC) is a term we use to describe the overlapping interests of government and industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to economic, social and political problems.

Through its reach and impact, the PIC helps and maintains the authority of people who get their power through racial, economic and other privileges.

Healthcare is made up of services and systems that support our bodies to be the happiest, healthiest, and whole versions of ourselves. Reproductive healthcare has to do with direct care, services, and education individuals need to take care of their bodies, have safe and satisfying sexual lives, and create, end, or prevent pregnancies based on their own decision-making. 

Reproductive Justice (RJ) encompasses not just pregnancy and birth (and, of course, the power to plan and continue or terminate a pregnancy), but recognizes the intersections between housing, schools, financial security, and building safe and thriving communities for our families. Yes, abortion is a part of it and reproductive justice organizing blends bodily autonomy with economic, environmental, racial, and gender justice

SisterSong defines RJ as, “the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.”

Reproductive rights focus on the legal framework that codifies one’s ability to determine when and whether to have children - this includes sex education, access to birth control, abortion, and healthcare before, during, and after pregnancy.’

Reproductive rights refer to an individual’s legal and political rights to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions without force or interference from governments, institutions, and other individuals. 

The monitoring and control of people’s reproductive decisions by state or non-state actors, often used to exert control over marginalized communities. Reproductive surveillance can include practices like tracking people’s pregnancies, monitoring health outcomes, and using criminal justice systems to intervene in reproductive choices, such as through forced sterilization or criminalizing pregnancy loss. It is a key issue in decriminalization efforts, as it violates privacy and autonomy.

A formal expression of the opinion, will, or intent of a legislative body or organization, often used to make a statement on a particular issue without creating new laws or binding obligations.

In reproductive justice, resolutions are often used to declare support for reproductive rights, condemn harmful policies, or call for action on issues like decriminalization, access to abortion, and reproductive healthcare. Resolutions can be powerful tools for raising awareness, mobilizing communities, and pressuring lawmakers or organizations to take a stance on critical issues, even though they do not carry the force of law like a bill would.

Seminal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a woman’s right to obtain an abortion was protected under the due process clause of the Constitution. The core holding of Roe, which remains the law today, is that the government may not prohibit a woman from obtaining an abortion prior to fetal viability, but may do so after viability as long as a woman may still legally obtain an abortion to protect her life or health.

A set of negative perceptions, attiudes and beliefs associated with a group of people or circumstance.

According to the International Network for the Reduction of Abortion Discrimination and Stigma (inroads) abortion stigma is the “social process of devaluing those people who have had abortions or those associated with abortion.” 

A pregnancy loss after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

The loss of a fetus after 20 weeks of pregnancy but before or during delivery. While stillbirth is a deeply personal and tragic experience, the way it is treated within healthcare systems and policies can impact the well-being of the pregnant person. In reproductive justice, stillbirth is recognized as an issue that requires compassionate, non-judgmental care, and the right to make decisions regarding grief, mourning, and potential legal or healthcare actions.

Marginalized communities, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+ individuals, and low-income folks, often face disparities in the care and support they receive during such losses, underscoring the need for policies that support equitable access to reproductive care, mental health services, and comprehensive grieving processes.

Surveillance Culture refers to the pervasive and omnipresent monitoring of individuals, groups, and societies through various technologies and institutions. This phenomenon has been shaped by historical, technological, and societal factors, resulting in a complex web of surveillance practices that impact individual privacy and societal norms.

Systemic racism refers to the deep-rooted policies, practices, and structures that uphold racial inequity across every part of society including healthcare, housing, education, policing, and the legal system. It’s not just about individual prejudice it’s about how institutions are designed to disadvantage Black, Indigenous, and other people of color while privileging white people.

In the context of reproductive justice and decriminalization, systemic racism shows up through the over-policing of Black and Brown parents, the criminalization of pregnancy outcomes, racial disparities in maternal health, and laws that control rather than support our communities.

Systemic racism is woven into the systems we’re forced to navigate and to dismantle it, we have to transform those systems, not just reform them. That means centering the leadership, wisdom, and needs of those most impacted.

Self-managed abortion is any abortion that takes place in whole or in part outside the formal healthcare system. A self-managed abortion often, but not always, involves abortion pills.

Self-managed abortions can be easier to plan, more private, and more comfortable than abortions in medical settings.

Xenophobia is the fear, hatred, or distrust of people perceived as foreign, especially immigrants and those who speak different languages, practice different religions, or come from different cultures. It fuels policies that target, detain, deport, and exclude people based on where they’re from or how they’re perceived.

In the context of decriminalization, xenophobia shows up in laws that criminalize migration, separate families, deny healthcare to undocumented people, and surveil pregnant immigrants especially Black, Brown, and Indigenous people. It also shows up in the refusal to provide language access, culturally responsive care, or legal protections to immigrants.

Decriminalization means ending the punishment of people for existing across borders, for seeking care, and for building safety in ways that reflect their culture, language, and traditions. It means fighting for a world where no one is illegal, and everyone belongs.