Bhatnagar P. 2024. Housing justice is reproductive justice: A review of housing justice as a structural determinant of black women and birthing people's reproductive health in Washington, D.C.. Washington, D.C: Mamatoto Village and Georgetown University Health Justice Alliance , 26 pp. Annotation: This report highlights the common threads between housing and reproductive justice, emphasizing the importance of policy solutions that de-silo maternal health and address social and structural barriers. The first section describes how structural racism and structural disinvestment—including residential segregation, poor housing access and conditions, residential instability and gentrification, and the carceral apparatus—contribute to deleterious health outcomes among Black women and birthing people. The second section outlines how Black pregnancy is policed across the reproductive lifespan through forced evictions and displacement during pregnancy, double jeopardy of racism and discrimination in health care settings, and threatened Child Protective Services (CPS) involvement after birth. The third section highlights the status of housing reform in Washington, D.C. and potential opportunities for change. The report ends with Mamatoto Village’s housing justice framework, a summary of federal housing programs and policies, and links to annotated bibliography of key articles.
Contact: Georgetown University , Health Justice Alliance , 600 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001, Telephone: (202) 662-9000 Web Site: https://www.law.georgetown.edu/health-justice-alliance/ Keywords: Barriers, Blacks, Civil rights, Federal programs , Housing, Housing programs, Maternal health, Policy development, Pregnancy, Racism, Social factors, Underserved communities |