Reproductive Justice Writing Contest for Law Students

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For all you law students out there, a fantastic reproductive justice writing contest hosted by the National Advocates for Pregnant Women. They are giving out significant cash prizes, $1,000 for first prize, $500 and $250 for the runners up. The deadline for submissions is May 31, 2009.

Issues of concern to pregnant and birthing women have often been missing from discussion in law school gender discrimination and feminist jurisprudence courses and among reproductive rights activists. Thanks in large part to public education efforts by writers, filmmakers, and community activists, there is an unprecedented amount of attention and momentum surrounding the rights of pregnant and birthing women. To advance these efforts further, NAPW has developed two writing contests. NAPW and numerous Co-Sponsors and Supporters hope that these contests will leverage the enthusiasm and creativity of a new generation of feminist legal scholars and spark critical thinking about the need to address childbirth and birthing rights as constitutional and human rights issues.
Contest I: Birthing Rights as a Matter of Gender Equality

This contest asks for a critical analysis of the absence of birthing rights issues from gender discrimination and feminist jurisprudence textbooks and curricula (in fact, none of the top three casebooks used in law school courses dedicated to gender and the law address the issue of childbirth or midwifery).

Contest II: Challenges to Bans On Women Having Vaginal Births after Previous C-Sections

This contest asks students to develop legal theories that can be used to challenge policies banning pregnant women from having a vaginal birth after a prior caesarean section (VBAC). This topic will encourage students to address a growing problem that has received very little attention from the feminist legal community both in academia and within the leading women's rights legal advocacy organizations.

For the full writing prompts, submission guidelines, more information about our co-sponsors and supporters, and periodic updates, please visit the NAPW website.

Posted by Miriam - November 18, 2008, at 08:48AM | in Motherhood , Reproductive Rights

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