UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Disability justice activist and attorney Lydia X.Z. Brown will present a talk, titled "Roe v. Wade at the Intersection: Reproductive Justice for People with Disabilities." The talk will be livestreamed through WPSU on Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. Attendees interested in tuning in should register here in advance of the session.

It has been slightly over four months since the Supreme Court released its ruling on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which removed the federal protection for reproductive justice as a constitutional right under the right of privacy. Furthermore, with the 2022 midterm elections, it has been said that “reproductive rights are on the ballot,” but what does that really mean and what are the impacts of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization?

Brown will address the impact of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision and discuss potential changes that might seen at the state and federal level. In particular, Brown will discuss how conversations around reproductive rights, abortion access and healthcare center the concerns of some and push other groups to the margins, specifically highlighting the disproportionate impact that limited access to reproductive health education and services has on people with disabilities and how people can advocate for change. Brown’s social justice work addresses violence against people with disabilities, and they frequently speak about ableism in society.

“Certainly we know one of the biggest barriers to gender equity at the university, within the United States and around the world is access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as outlined by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development goals,” said Becca Geiger Wallen, associate director of the Gender Equity Center, a unit of Penn State Student Affairs. “Enabling women and those individuals who have a uterus to make their own informed decisions about reproductive health care entails ensuring unfettered access to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education. Certainly, we know that barriers to such informed decisions exist and access is unequally dispersed depending on the other identities a person holds.”

Karen Armstrong, director of inclusion, equity and diversity for Penn State Outreach and Online Education, said it’s critical that the Penn State community has a forum to hear from subject matter experts on issues like reproductive rights. 

“We are honored to have Lydia X.Z. Brown address the importance of body autonomy for people with disabilities,” Armstrong said. “This is a very timely topic to address since the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this year. It’s important that the Penn State community has access to participate in this discussion.”

The talk is sponsored by Gender Equity Center, Penn State Outreach and Online Education, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Development and Alumni Relations, and the Office of Educational Equity.

For more information on this program and other programming sponsored by the Gender Equity Center, visit studentaffairs.psu.edu/genderequity.

Penn State encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please email Terry Watson at tlw37@psu.edu  in advance of your participation or visit. American Sign Language (ASL) and captioning will be provided.