Reproductive Justice Agenda

Native Women for Reproductive Justice

“Empowerment Through Dialogue,” a historical three-day meeting was held in Pierre, South Dakota, on May 16th, 17th, and 18th, 1990. More than 30 Native Women, representing over eleven Nations from the Northern Plains came together in a collective decision-making process to form a Reproductive Justice Coalition. Their efforts resulted in an Agenda for Native Women’s Reproductive Justice.

Reproductive Justice Agenda:

1. The right to knowledge and education for all family members concerning sexuality and reproduction that is age-, culture-, and gender-appropriate.
2. The right to all reproductive alternatives and the right to choose the size of our families.
3. The right to affordable health care, including safe deliveries within our communities.
4. The right to access safe, free, and/or affordable abortions, regardless of age, with confidentiality and free pre- and post-counseling.
5. The right to active involvement in the development and implementation of policies concerning reproductive issues, which include but are not limited to pharmaceuticals and technology.
6. The right to include domestic violence, sexual assault, and AIDS as reproductive justice issues.
7. The right to programs which meet the nutritional needs of women and families.
8. The right to programs to reduce the rate of infant mortality and high-risk pregnancies.
9. The right to culturally specific comprehensive chemical dependency prenatal programs including, but not limited to, prevention of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Effects.
10. The right to stop coerced sterilization.
11. The right to a forum for cultural/spiritual development, culturally-oriented health care, and the right to live as Native Women.
12. The right to be fully informed about, and to consent to any forms of medical treatment.
13. The right to determine who are members of our Nations.
14. The right to continuous, consistent, and quality health care for Native People.
15. The right to reproductive justice and support for women with disabilities.
16. The right to parent our children in a non-sexist, non-racist environment.
17. The right of Two Spirited women, their partners, and their families to live free from persecution or discrimination based on their sexuality and/or gender, and the right to enjoy the same human, political, social, legal, economic, religious, tribal and governmental rights and benefits afforded all other Indigenous women.
18. The right to give birth and be attended to in the setting most appropriate, be it home, community, clinic or hospital and to be able to choose the support system for our births, including but not limited to, Traditional Midwives, Families and community members.
19. The right to education and support for breastfeeding that include but not limited to, individuals and communities that allow for regrowth of traditional nurturing and parenting of our children.

In order to accomplish the foregoing stated rights, Native Women for Reproductive Justice will create conditions and alliances to network with other groups.

Attending Participants, May 18, 1990
Authors of the Indigenous Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda : Points 1 – 16

Sherrie Agneau Cheyenne River Sioux	Viola Poorman Rosebud Sioux	Anita Sanchez Yankton Sioux	Barbara Bruguier Three Affiliated Tribes
Karen Artichoke Oglala/Winnebago	Maria Provost Cheyenne River Sioux	LeAnn Swenson-Wall Chitamaiche/Cherokee	Janice Howe Crow Creek Sioux
Charon Asetoyer Comanche	Naomi Renville Omaha, Seneca, Sioux	Laura Trudell Yankton Sioux	Theresa Red Bear Crow Creek Sioux
Ellen Ashes Yankton Sioux	Nancy Denny Santee Sioux	Wanda Wells Crow Creek Sioux	Darlene Medicine Crow Crow Creek Sioux
Winifred E. Boub Rosebud Sioux	Antoinette Eagle Boy Standing Rock Sioux	Phyllis Wilcox Oglala Sioux	Delores O’Connor Yankton Sioux
Corrine Black Bear Rosebud Sioux	Mollie A. Emery Santee Sioux	Myra A. Winckler Yankton Sioux	Debra Pickner Crow Creek Sioux
Tillie Black Bear Rosebud Sioux	April Fallis Crow Creek Sioux	Georgine Young Yankton Sioux	Lisa M. Iyotte Ft. Belknap Sioux
Judy A. Bridwell Cheyene River Sioux	Carmel C. Flood Yankton Sioux	Mona Fischer Yankton Sioux
Jackie R. Rouse Rosebud Sioux	Donna Haukaas Rosebud Sioux	Evelyn New Holy Oglala Sioux
Bessie L. Long Yankton Sioux	Brenda Hill Blackfoot	Mary Louise Defender-Wilson Northern Dakota Sioux

Amended May 28, 2000: Points 17 – 19
Attending Participants

Charon Asetoyer Comanche	Lona Fast Horse Cheyenne River Sioux	Barbara Moore Apache	Pattie Salas Chicana Coahuilteca
Nilak Butler Inuit	Adelina Alva Padilla Santa Ynez Chumash	Yako Myers Mohawk	Consuelo Schimpf Comanche
Dorothy Davids Mohican	Pamela Kingfisher Cherokee	Leslie Hawkins Metis	Beverly Scow Kwa Guilth
Cecilia Gomez Chicana	Beverly Little Thunder Lakota Sioux	Julian Paul Penobscot	Alice Skenandore Ojibwa
Luz Guerra Mestiza	Mia Luluqusien Ilokano/Heiltsuk	Colette Powers Anishinabe	Dagmar Thorpe Sac and Fox

In appreciation to the Women of Color Partnership Program of RCAR of Washington, D.C., and the Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center of Lake Andes, South Dakota, for co-sponsoring this meeting, and to the Ms. Foundation for continued support.