8 Useful questions to prepare for class
1. Which materials did you read/watch/listen to? (Please list them. Include the author’s
name and the title for readings, and the title for podcasts and videos)
- Opinions about the birth control pill in 1964 - CBC archive video
- Twenty-five years on: How we won abortion rights by Carolyn Egan
- 25th Anniversary of The Morgentaler Decision: Carolyn Egan talks about the movement
for choice - Ontario4choice video
- A broad vision for reproductive justice by Jane Kirby
- Black life at the intersection of birth and death, Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa
TEDtalk
- Indigenous women report racism and neglect in COVID-19 Canada childbirth by Annie
Burns-Pieper
- Roe v. Wade’s fall shows we can’t be complacent about women’s rights in Canada by
Daphne Gilbert
- Climate justice means reproductive rights for all by Almaz Ohene
- Reproductive Justice with Dr. Jamila Perritt - Podcast
2. What was your previous knowledge on this week’s topic?
My previous knowledge on this week’s topic was mostly from what I learned both in school as
well as in the media regarding recent changes to reproductive rights. I learned about the basics of
reproduction and contraception in high school and learn about things like birth control methods
as well as abortions. My views on things such as birth control are very similar even to the
women who spoke in the “Opinions about the birth control pill in 1964” video, I think birth
control options such as the pill can be very useful in preventing unwanted and unneeded
pregnancy and I think it should be available for all women as well as taught about to young girls
so that we can educate them on their reproductive options. In highschool I was taught about birth
control and its effectiveness but did not start taking birth control pills until I was in my second
year of university. It was not that I wasn’t sexually active or that I didn’t have a need for birth
control, but I was too scared to ask my mother if I could go on the pill in highschool. I think
there is a lot of fear like this in young girls when it comes to talking about birth control and I
think the more it is normalized, the more comfortable girls will feel using it. As for reproductive
rights and abortion rights, I also learned about the right to abortion in highschool and where to go
if you are in need of this procedure. My knowledge on the recent developments in reproductive
rights come from the news and social media. Seeing that Roe v. Wade has been overturned in the
states is a terrifying reality. This is clearly a step backwards and worries me for the future of
Canada if we ever have a conservative government in power again.
, 3. In a short paragraph, describe what you see as the main over-arching idea that is
holding our materials together this week. What is this “package” of
reading/videos/podcasts about? How would you explain it to someone?
[This is the most important question. Weak answers to #3 are the main reason people are
asked to revise. Give this question more time than the others. Focus on the big picture.
Think about connecting ideas and themes. And write your answer as if you were actually
explaining to someone what the package of readings (not just one or two of the titles) is
about. Use my notes on OnQ and the weekly headings to help you answer this question.]
I think that the overarching idea of this week’s material is about how reproductive rights are a
matter of politics and the political environment we live in. Reproductive rights should be seen as
human rights, the right for a woman to choose what happens to her own body and to have
autonomy over her own fertility and family planning. However, this is not the case, reproductive
rights are often used as a political statement in order to control people, specifically women. By
looking at the issue of reproductive justice, we can see the importance of analyzing context in
our discussions on sexuality in this course. The restriction of reproductive rights is a clear attack
on women, this is gendered politics looking to not only corrupt the medical world with ideals
built by the Church, but to control women’s bodies through the restriction of means in which
women have to control their fertility. Reproductive issues are very complex and we are talking
about them in this course to look deeper into sexuality and the means of control that are put on it.
Restriction of reproductive rights is a mean of control, a way to control women’s bodies both
sexually as well as medically. The material this week invites us to learn about both the history of
reproductive rights, as well as the contemporary issues facing them. Through my eight weeks in
this course I have learned that the “contemporary” part of the course title was not exaggerated.
This course never fails to bring up contemporary issues facing sexuality in our world, and by
opening us up to the discussion on reproductive rights, we get the opportunity to learn about and
discuss a very important and relevant issue facing women around the globe.
4. Which piece most influenced your learning this week? How and/or why?
The piece that most influenced me this week was, Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa’s Black life
at the intersection of birth and death TEDtalk. Katwiwa talked about how she, as a Black
woman, cannot ignore or deny the connection between reproductive justice and the fight for
Black lives. Katwiwa discusses in her poem about how she as a Black woman in America is not
excited to be a mother, but rather, fearful. Seeing Black children and teenagers killed all over the
country has made her as well as countless Black mothers around the country terrified. This piece
really spoke to me, as a white woman, I often do not reflect on the privilege I will have as a
mother one day. Not having to fear for my child's safety from the police or other oppressors, is a
privilege that is often overlooked. Katwiwa discusses how Black women have to raise children
much differently than white women, they have to raise children in fear and teach them lessons
about staying safe from all the wrong people. White children can trust and depend on the police
1. Which materials did you read/watch/listen to? (Please list them. Include the author’s
name and the title for readings, and the title for podcasts and videos)
- Opinions about the birth control pill in 1964 - CBC archive video
- Twenty-five years on: How we won abortion rights by Carolyn Egan
- 25th Anniversary of The Morgentaler Decision: Carolyn Egan talks about the movement
for choice - Ontario4choice video
- A broad vision for reproductive justice by Jane Kirby
- Black life at the intersection of birth and death, Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa
TEDtalk
- Indigenous women report racism and neglect in COVID-19 Canada childbirth by Annie
Burns-Pieper
- Roe v. Wade’s fall shows we can’t be complacent about women’s rights in Canada by
Daphne Gilbert
- Climate justice means reproductive rights for all by Almaz Ohene
- Reproductive Justice with Dr. Jamila Perritt - Podcast
2. What was your previous knowledge on this week’s topic?
My previous knowledge on this week’s topic was mostly from what I learned both in school as
well as in the media regarding recent changes to reproductive rights. I learned about the basics of
reproduction and contraception in high school and learn about things like birth control methods
as well as abortions. My views on things such as birth control are very similar even to the
women who spoke in the “Opinions about the birth control pill in 1964” video, I think birth
control options such as the pill can be very useful in preventing unwanted and unneeded
pregnancy and I think it should be available for all women as well as taught about to young girls
so that we can educate them on their reproductive options. In highschool I was taught about birth
control and its effectiveness but did not start taking birth control pills until I was in my second
year of university. It was not that I wasn’t sexually active or that I didn’t have a need for birth
control, but I was too scared to ask my mother if I could go on the pill in highschool. I think
there is a lot of fear like this in young girls when it comes to talking about birth control and I
think the more it is normalized, the more comfortable girls will feel using it. As for reproductive
rights and abortion rights, I also learned about the right to abortion in highschool and where to go
if you are in need of this procedure. My knowledge on the recent developments in reproductive
rights come from the news and social media. Seeing that Roe v. Wade has been overturned in the
states is a terrifying reality. This is clearly a step backwards and worries me for the future of
Canada if we ever have a conservative government in power again.
, 3. In a short paragraph, describe what you see as the main over-arching idea that is
holding our materials together this week. What is this “package” of
reading/videos/podcasts about? How would you explain it to someone?
[This is the most important question. Weak answers to #3 are the main reason people are
asked to revise. Give this question more time than the others. Focus on the big picture.
Think about connecting ideas and themes. And write your answer as if you were actually
explaining to someone what the package of readings (not just one or two of the titles) is
about. Use my notes on OnQ and the weekly headings to help you answer this question.]
I think that the overarching idea of this week’s material is about how reproductive rights are a
matter of politics and the political environment we live in. Reproductive rights should be seen as
human rights, the right for a woman to choose what happens to her own body and to have
autonomy over her own fertility and family planning. However, this is not the case, reproductive
rights are often used as a political statement in order to control people, specifically women. By
looking at the issue of reproductive justice, we can see the importance of analyzing context in
our discussions on sexuality in this course. The restriction of reproductive rights is a clear attack
on women, this is gendered politics looking to not only corrupt the medical world with ideals
built by the Church, but to control women’s bodies through the restriction of means in which
women have to control their fertility. Reproductive issues are very complex and we are talking
about them in this course to look deeper into sexuality and the means of control that are put on it.
Restriction of reproductive rights is a mean of control, a way to control women’s bodies both
sexually as well as medically. The material this week invites us to learn about both the history of
reproductive rights, as well as the contemporary issues facing them. Through my eight weeks in
this course I have learned that the “contemporary” part of the course title was not exaggerated.
This course never fails to bring up contemporary issues facing sexuality in our world, and by
opening us up to the discussion on reproductive rights, we get the opportunity to learn about and
discuss a very important and relevant issue facing women around the globe.
4. Which piece most influenced your learning this week? How and/or why?
The piece that most influenced me this week was, Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa’s Black life
at the intersection of birth and death TEDtalk. Katwiwa talked about how she, as a Black
woman, cannot ignore or deny the connection between reproductive justice and the fight for
Black lives. Katwiwa discusses in her poem about how she as a Black woman in America is not
excited to be a mother, but rather, fearful. Seeing Black children and teenagers killed all over the
country has made her as well as countless Black mothers around the country terrified. This piece
really spoke to me, as a white woman, I often do not reflect on the privilege I will have as a
mother one day. Not having to fear for my child's safety from the police or other oppressors, is a
privilege that is often overlooked. Katwiwa discusses how Black women have to raise children
much differently than white women, they have to raise children in fear and teach them lessons
about staying safe from all the wrong people. White children can trust and depend on the police
