Reproductive Justice: People Matter! History Matters! Places Matter!

Research has established that racial disparities in contraceptive use exist in the United States with African American women being more likely than white women to report using a contraceptive method associated with lower efficacy or no contraception at all. Several factors have been suggested to explain low uptake of highly effective forms of contraception and disparities including cost, systemic racism, negative attitudes, and cultural mistrust stemming from the history of medical racism. However, the lived experiences of rural African American Southern women are underrepresented in contraceptive research. Utilizing mixed methods, this study explores the contraceptive experiences of 14 rural African American women in northeastern North Carolina. Through data analysis, I identified a contraceptive decision-making pattern shared between the women. Data analysis also revealed negative attitudes of different forms of contraceptives. Ultimately, this research sheds light on several factors influential in African American women's contraceptive behaviors.