African-American Women for Reproductive Freedom was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

-based

reproductive rights Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows: Reproductive rights rest o ...

organization that formed in 1990. The organization developed as a way for

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

women to show support for "

Jane Roe Norma Leah Nelson McCorvey (September 22, 1947 – February 18, 2017), also known by the pseudonym "Jane Roe", was the plaintiff in the landmark American legal case ''Roe v. Wade'' in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1973 that individual s ...

" (Norma Leah Nelson McCorvey) in '' Roe vs. Wade''. Faye Wattleton was one of the first major supporters of the organization. This group's intent was to alter the perception of abortion not being a choice for African-American women, who they argued faced additional stigma and judgement for seeking out a legal abortion. Their arguments mentioned the history of rape, torture, and other forms of abuse suffered by African-American women, stating that it was not fair and that this led to them being continually marginalized and treated as if they couldn't think for themselves.

Declaration brochure

In 1989, before officially forming an organization, a group of 16 African American women, and one man, all affiliated with major organizations in the country, released a

declaration Declaration may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Declaration'' (book), a self-published electronic pamphlet by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri * ''The Declaration'' (novel), a 2008 children's novel by Gemma Malley Music ...

brochure supporting

pro-choice Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pr ...

reproductive rights. The document, "African American Women are for Reproductive Freedom", was signed by: * Byllye Avery * Willie Barrow *

Donna Brazile Donna Lease Brazile (; born December 15, 1959) is an American political strategist, campaign manager and political analyst who served twice as acting Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). She is currently an ABC News contributor, ...

Shirley Chisholm Shirley Anita Chisholm ( ; ; November 30, 1924 – January 1, 2005) was an American politician who, in 1968, became the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm represented New York's 12th congressional distr ...

Cardiss Collins Cardiss Hortense Collins (; September 24, 1931 – February 3, 2013) was an American politician from Illinois who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the fourth Afric ...

* Ramona Edelin * Jacqui Gates * Marcia Ann Gillespie *

Dorothy Height Dorothy Irene Height (March 24, 1912 – April 20, 2010) was an African American civil rights and women's rights activist. She focused on the issues of African American women, including unemployment, illiteracy, and voter awareness. Height is cr ...

* Jewel Jackson McCabe * Julianne Malveaux *

Eleanor Holmes Norton Eleanor Holmes Norton (born June 13, 1937) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a delegate to the United States House of Representatives, representing the District of Columbia since 1991. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Ea ...

* C. Delores Tucker * Patricia Tyson *

Maxine Waters Maxine Moore Waters (née Carr; born August 15, 1938) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 1991. The district, numbered as the 29th district from 1991 to 1993 and as the 35th district from 1993 to 2013, inc ...

* Faye Wattleton

References

External links

A statement released by the organization as published in ''Ms.''
from ''Our Bodies, Our Selves''. {{authority control 1990 establishments in the United States African-American women's organizations Abortion-rights organizations in the United States Women's organizations based in the United States Organizations established in 1990

Declaration brochure

See also

References

External links