Reflections on Reproductive Justice in the United States from 1989 to 2024

In 1994, Women of African Descent for Reproductive Justice came together to give voice and vision to the term Reproductive Justice (RJ) and its principles in anticipation of the International Conference on Population and Development and in response to the reproductive rights movement in the United States that white and wealthy women dominated at that time. As a nurse who has worked on the front lines, sidelines, and behind the scenes over the three decades since that auspicious gathering, this article relays some of my professional experiences as they relate to what I believe are among the most pressing issues we face as a global community and as nurses striving to manifest the principles of RJ. The article ends with a call to action for nurses, as there is no time to waste.