The theme of this year’s Law Students for Reproductive Justice Leadership Institute is “Justice Doesn’t Just Happen.” When I first heard the theme, I was enthusiastic because it reminded me that I am becoming educated for a worthwhile purpose that is larger than myself. I immediately knew that I would arrive in Washington, D.C. and find people that are energized, creative and passionate about making a positive difference in the world.  I could not wait to re-connect with the larger community of reproductive justice advocates.

Then I wondered, why doesn’t justice just happen?  Why is it that when we make laws, it is hard to remember that different people will be impacted differently?  Why is it that some people work to purposefully restrict access to resources and rights for others?  Why do we need to organize around a large variety of human rights issues?  Why will many of us be able to make careers around protecting people’s rights to reproductive health, access and freedom?

Personally, I occasionally get distracted from the immediate work by larger questions of humanity.  For instance, how did we arrive at the year 2010 without a healthy respect for each other?  How are we still harboring the fear that there is just not enough for everyone and so we better just grab:  grab power, grab resources, grab money?  But the truth is, people have made progress in learning about and even appreciating one another in the last few hundred years.  The important part is that I end the day with hope that we can continue to move forward and that I can make a difference, especially when I am given so many tools by LSRJ along my journey.

Jessica Wilkerson

I attended today’s LSOC Caucus, and I must say I was impressed by the quality of the comments that came from the participants, as well as the quality of the leadership provided by LSRJ Intern Jeryl Hayes.  It all started with an e-mail invitation to attend the Caucus during our lunch hour on Saturday.  When I got there, I instantly felt that familiar feeling of comfort when all of a sudden, I was no longer the only brown person in the immediate vicinity.  To my left and to my right, behind me and in front of me, I saw a diverse group of advocates who had one definite thing in common: our passion for reproductive justice.

It was a beautiful thing!  We talked about racial tensions on our campuses and the dearth of minority lawyers in the RJ field.  We talked about our personal ambitions as future attorneys and what kind of pressures we faced from our respective communities to do something outside of public interest law.  Participants also touched on issues I had not thought of before – for example, what a strong reproductive justice movement would look like in the South and how law students of color and LGBTQ law students could contribute to it.  The conversation was fascinating, and above all, I think it was so important to create a time and space to address a topic that rarely gets airtime:  the intersection of race and gender that lies at the heart of reproductive justice.

There is much more to explore as we return to our campuses and try to make intersectionality a bigger part of our LSRJ chapter advocacy.  But I believe the seeds have been planted for a keen awareness about how our identities impact what we say and how our words are heard by others.  As a Latina law student, I appreciated the opportunity to reflect on how my identity brings a different perspective to conversations about reproductive justice on campus, at my internships, and in the lives of people I talk to everyday.

Lucy Panza

In a scene from the most recent Twilight movie, Bella tries to convince Edward that she wants him and wants to take the next step in their relationship by having sex.  While Edward makes it clear that he definitely wants her back, he tells her that in his time, there would be a whole process before any of this could take place.  He would have wooed her, they’d hold hands, he’d get permission from her father to marry her, they’d get married, then they’d do the deed.  Bella informs him that it’s now her day in age, and that’s definitely not the way it works.  Who knew that Twilight would have such a brilliant metaphor for why abstinence-only education doesn’t work?

The problem with abstinence-only education is not so much that it wants teenagers to prolong sexual activity until they are married, but more that it’s completely out of touch with today’s modern teenager.  Suporters of ab-only education seem to believe that sex should only occur during marriage, and anything outside of that concept is morally wrong.  They suggest that comprehensive sex education that teaches students about condoms and other forms of contraception is what causes teenagers to engage in sexual behavior.  As if saying, well if kids don’t learn about condoms and contraception from their sex-ed teacher at school, then they will magically never be curious about sex or have any idea what it is.  Apparently, they’ve never turned on their TV.

The simple truth  is, teenagers are exposed to sex on a regular basis, whether their parents want to accept it or not.  It’s on TV.  It’s in music videos and song lyrics.  It’s in magazines and print ads for their favorite clothing store.  And on that little thing called the internet.  Sex is a part of our society and our culture, plain and simple.  Sexuality is part of the human condition.  And it’s complicated. Read the rest of this entry »