A reproducing person’s right to make decisions about their own body is one of the most divisive political issues today. The U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade with the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision has ushered in renewed forms of intolerance, judgment, secrecy, risk, danger, anger, and despair. Given this context, inclusive and just reproductive politics–politics that assure the agency, dignity, and safety of all–can seem beyond our reach. But rather than giving up, the overturn of Roe can spark our hope; it can prompt us to identify rhetorical tactics for reimagining the possible and support purposeful work toward a truly equitable reproductive politics. The first step in such reimagining is listening carefully to the stories of others. As we listen, we can press ourselves to explore what stories can do: they can call on us to grapple with the unfamiliar, recognize our own implicit biases, and deliberate beyond polarizing talking points.

As Kenneth Burke reminds us, the stories we encounter can be recognized as “strategies for dealing with situations,” can function as “equipment for living.” Activists, advocates, and academics alike have the opportunity to use the current toxic state of reproductive politics as motivation for rethinking broader strategies as we move forward, together. Stories can propel and critically inform this coalitional movement, serving as rhetorical resources for advocacy work as we deliberate toward reproductive justice for all and deepen our reserves of hopefulness. 

Heather Brook Adams is a 2021-2022 Candace Bernard and Robert Glickman Dean’s Professor in the
UNCG College of Arts and Sciences. Her research performs feminist historiography of the recent past and investigates large themes such as health and wellness through a focus on rhetorics of reproduction and pregnancy in relation to affect, gender, race, and class. Her book Enduring Shame: A History of Unwed Pregnancy and Righteous Reproduction, was published by the University of South Carolina Press in 2022