"Something Was Attacking Them and Their Reproductive Organs": Environmental Reproductive Justice in an Indigenous Tribe in the United States Gulf Coast.

Jessica L. Liddell,Sarah G. Kington

doi:10.3390/ijerph18020666

Abstract

Environmental reproductive justice is increasingly being utilized as a framework for exploring how environmental exploitation and pollution contribute to reproductive health and reproductive injustices. However, little research explores how settler colonialism and historical oppression contribute to the physical transformation of land, and how this undermines tribal members’ health. Even less research explores the intersection of environmental justice and reproductive justice among Indigenous groups, especially in the Gulf South, who are especially vulnerable to environmental justice issues due to climate change, land loss, and oil company exploitation, and for tribes that are non-federally recognized. A qualitative description research methodology was used to conduct 31 life-history interviews with women from a Gulf Coast Indigenous tribe. Findings of this study reveal that central components of reproductive justice, including the ability to have children and the ability to raise children in safe and healthy environments, are undermined by environmental justice issues in the community. Among concerns raised by women were high rates of chronic healthcare issues among community members, and issues with infertility. Recognizing Indigenous sovereignty is central to addressing these environmental reproductive justice issues. This research is unique in exploring the topic of environmental reproductive justice among a state-recognized Gulf Coast tribe.

Highlights

Both environmental justice (EJ), defined as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and polices” [1], and reproductive justice (RJ), defined as the right to have children, to not have children, and to parent children in a healthy and safe environment [2], have been documented as issues of injustice among Indigenous communities [3,4,5,6]
Findings of this study reveal that central components of reproductive justice, including the ability to have children and the ability to raise children in safe and healthy environments, are undermined by environmental justice issues in the community
Women describe experiencing a range of reproductive health issues which impact their own physical health and well-being, and their ability to achieve their fertility goals and desires. These findings highlight the environmental reproductive justice issues experienced by a Gulf Coast Indigenous tribe

Summary

Introduction

Both environmental justice (EJ), defined as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and polices” [1], and reproductive justice (RJ), defined as the right to have children, to not have children, and to parent children in a healthy and safe environment [2], have been documented as issues of injustice among Indigenous communities [3,4,5,6]. Scholars and activists have been increasingly pointing to this as a useful framework to analyze the unique ways in which injustices occur that are related to both the environment and reproduction [7,8], especially among Indigenous populations [3,9] The documentation of these issues points to the need for increased research and targeted policies to ensure that environmental reproductive justice can be realized among. We use a historically informed approach to explicate the ways that environmental injustice has impacted Indigenous communities in an ongoing, continuous manner beginning at the onset of settler colonialism in the United States. By taking this long historical view, we are able to more clearly demonstrate how the history of settler colonialism, including the genocide and forced removal of Indigenous communities from

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