What Do We Know and What Should We Do About… Abortion?

Tanya Saroj Bakhru is a Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at San Jose State University. She holds a B.M. in Violin Performance from the University of Redlands, an M.A. in Women’s Studies from San Diego State University, and a Ph.D. in Women’s Studies from University College Dublin. Dr. Bakhru’s publications include Reproductive Justice, Adoption and Foster Care with Krista Benson and the edited collection Reproductive Justice and Sexual Rights: Transnational Perspectives. Her research interests include Transnational Feminism, Reproductive Justice, and Feminist Critiques of Globalization.Grace E. Howard is an Associate Professor of Justice Studies at San José State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science at Rutgers University, with concentrations in Women and Politics and Public Law. Dr. Howard has authored several published works, including The Pregnancy Police: Conceiving Crime, Arresting Personhood; “The Criminalization of Pregnancy Before and After Dobbs” in The Routledge Companion to Gender and Crime; and “The Pregnancy Police: Surveillance, Regulation, and Control" in Harvard Law and Policy Review. Dr. Howard’s body of work explores reproductive law and policy, and the dimensions of legal personhood for people with the capacity for pregnancy. She is engaged in public scholarship on reproductive politics and law, with expertise on the criminalization of pregnancy, abortion, contraception, miscarriage, and eugenics. Her analysis and commentary have been featured in national and international news outlets including Huffington Post, BBC News, Telemundo, US News & World Report, Truthout, AP News, and NPR.

• IntroductionBackgroundWhat Do We KnowWhat Should We DoConclusion