Thanks so much for your feedback, Professor. I’ve spent some more time organizing my research this week, and I think you’re right that I’ve gotten a little off track and need to re-center my plan. I really want to do the photo essay, and I did some brainstorming with some of my photographer peers to think of how I can make the connection between images and this research stronger.
My thoughts:
- Refocus my research on the concept of choice. I think that choice in reproduction is the strongest link between the neoliberal concepts that we have been studying and issues of reproductive justice. The issue of choice has been intertwined in most of the research I have done, but I need to zero in much more in this specific area in my essay, and my sources from now on will reflect this.
- Specifically, in thinking about choice, neoliberalism creates a system in which every individual bears the responsibility for making rational decisions. This is the root of neoliberalism’s connection to reproductive justice (in my opinion). As all of the authors I have read on this topic emphasize, all actors are not positioned to make the most rational decisions regarding their own reproductive health. Not everyone has access to information about options and risks, health insurance to cover fees, transportation to medical facilities, knowledge of birth control options, etc. This fundamental problem with applying neoliberalism to the reproductive sphere is what I think is most important and is what I need to focus back upon in starting to write and photograph my final product.
- I still like the idea of incorporating current event news coverage into my research, but I think my current news sources aren’t getting at the main points I am interested in from above. To make this part of my research more relevant, I think I need to focus in on how choice is emphasized so heavily in the media. That is, I am going to highlight news sources that use the language of choice to write about reproductive justice (which is extremely common) and make the argument (based on my theory research) that this neoliberal strategy is harmful to individuals seeking reproductive care. I plan to define all these terms that I am using, as well!
- To tie in photography, I am thinking that I want to take studio-style portraits of students who identify as women (volunteers). I will ask each person who lets me photograph them to answer a question (I’m still developing the question/questions that I want to ask…) about their personal experiences with reproductive choice. Their brief answers will be presented alongside their portraits in the final project. I will only use people who are comfortable having their picture shown with their words.
- By capturing the faces of college-aged women whose lived experiences regarding reproductive health are impacted directly by the consequences of neoliberalism, I hopefully will tie all of this research together in a more powerful and accessible way than a traditional paper. I feel like I have a better plan and focus now than in the past couple of weeks
New sources:
Isaksen, Meredith. “Late-Term Abortion Was the Right Choice for Me.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Oct. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/10/21/opinion/late-term-abortion-was-the-right-choice-for-me.html?searchResultPosition=7.
This New York Times op-ed is written by a woman explaining why getting a late-term abortion was the “right choice” for her. This article serves as an example of how the language of choice permeates discussions of reproductive justice in the media today. On one hand, Isaksen’s poignant narrative demonstrates how crucial it was to her life that she had access to the choice to have a late-term abortion when pregnancy complications arose for her. Her ostensible purpose in writing this is to provide a first-hand account of how late-term abortions can make sense and be ethical in certain desperate situations. She is pushing back against late-term abortion in many U.S. states, arguing that it should be a choice available to pregnant women. While this experience and her reasoning are valid, I also want to use this article to support my argument that the neoliberal system in the reproductive sphere has led to a primary emphasis on individual choice instead of justice/equality. Even in states where late-term abortion is legal, it is effectively not a choice for certain sectors of women. This is thus a helpful source for the argument of my paper.
“‘Defunding’ Planned Parenthood Defined.” Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Planned Parenthood. Accessed 2019. https://www.istandwithpp.org/defund-defined.