Award winning author, panel to discuss women’s issues at ASU during March 5 event
JONESBORO, Ark. — Dr. Rickie Solinger, an award winning historian and author, will be featured at the “Women’s History, Health, and Reproductive Rights,” presentation, Tuesday, March 5, at the Carl R. Reng Student Union Auditorium (third floor). The event will take place from 4-6 p.m., and is free and open to the public.
Dr. Solinger’s presentation, “Choice vs. Reproductive Justice: Which is Better for Women?” will be followed by a frank and civil examination of critical issues that will focus on women’s reproductive choice, health care access, and organizational support for women's health and safety.
The panel participants will be Dr. Solinger, Dr. Idonia Trotter (Executive Director of Arkansas Minority Health Commission), Dr. Cathy Young (ASU Director of Nurse Practitioner Program), and Ms. Vicki Crego (Women's Crisis Center of Northeast Arkansas). Dr. Sarah Wilkerson Freeman (ASU professor of History) will moderate.
The program is presented by ASU’s Women and Gender Studies faculty with major sponsorship provided by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Office of Diversity Initiatives and co-sponsored by The Department of History, The College of Nursing and Health Professions, Women and Gender Studies, and The Department of Political Science.
As Dr. Solinger has observed, “Throughout United States history, class and race have been at the center of reproductive politics. From before the Civil War, through eras of immigration, through periods of both criminalized and legal abortion, up until the present, class and race have structured the ways that politicians and public policy have defined who gets to be a real and honored mother in this country and who does not.
“Since the birth control pill (1960) and Roe v. Wade (1973), ideas about some women as poor choice-makers, and public policies regulating the choices all women can make, have fueled the attacks on reproductive freedom. The reproductive justice movement reflects women’s current struggles to claim reproductive autonomy, including the right to be a mother, and access to the resources women need to achieve reproductive dignity and full citizenship.”
Dr. Solinger is the author of numerous books, including, “Wake Up Little Susie: Single Pregnancy and Race Before Roe v. Wade” and “Beggars and Choosers: How the Politics of Choice Shapes Adoption, Abortion, and Welfare in the United States.” Her newest book is being released March 1.
Dr. Trotter completed a concurrent master's of Public Service and Juris Doctorate of Law degree program and graduated from both the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service and the University of Arkansas-Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.
As executive director of the Arkansas Minority Health Commission, Dr. Trotter played a pivotal role in the 2011 Arkansas legislative session to ensure the passage of several important pieces of legislation aimed at improving the health of minority children, sickle cell and HIV/AIDS patients and successfully fought the passage of legislation that would have had a negative impact on minority health and minority populations.
Dr. Cathy L. Young is an internationally recognized expert on women’s health and domestic violence. She has worked closely with Arkansas state police investigators and local law enforcement on cases involving domestic violence and abuse and contributed expert testimony for numerous cases.
Ms. Crego has worked in Northeast Arkansas to educate the community about the prevalence of sexual assault and to improve the treatment of victims of rape and domestic violence.
A reception will follow. Off-campus guests should park in designated “Visitors” parking or pay a parking fee for unreserved spaces in the Student Union Parking Garage.
