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“Something Was Attacking Them and Their Reproductive Organs”: Environmental Reproductive Justice in an Indigenous Tribe in the United States Gulf Coast

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  • Jessica L. Liddell

    (School of Social Work, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA)

  • Sarah G. Kington

    (Department of Sociology, School of Liberal Arts, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA)

Abstract

Environmental reproductive justice is increasingly being utilized as a framework for exploring how environmental exploitation and pollution contribute to reproductive health and reproductive injustices. However, little research explores how settler colonialism and historical oppression contribute to the physical transformation of land, and how this undermines tribal members’ health. Even less research explores the intersection of environmental justice and reproductive justice among Indigenous groups, especially in the Gulf South, who are especially vulnerable to environmental justice issues due to climate change, land loss, and oil company exploitation, and for tribes that are non-federally recognized. A qualitative description research methodology was used to conduct 31 life-history interviews with women from a Gulf Coast Indigenous tribe. Findings of this study reveal that central components of reproductive justice, including the ability to have children and the ability to raise children in safe and healthy environments, are undermined by environmental justice issues in the community. Among concerns raised by women were high rates of chronic healthcare issues among community members, and issues with infertility. Recognizing Indigenous sovereignty is central to addressing these environmental reproductive justice issues. This research is unique in exploring the topic of environmental reproductive justice among a state-recognized Gulf Coast tribe.

Suggested Citation

  • Jessica L. Liddell & Sarah G. Kington, 2021. "“Something Was Attacking Them and Their Reproductive Organs”: Environmental Reproductive Justice in an Indigenous Tribe in the United States Gulf Coast," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-17, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:2:p:666-:d:480457
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Kenneth Y. Chay & Michael Greenstone, 2003. "The Impact of Air Pollution on Infant Mortality: Evidence from Geographic Variation in Pollution Shocks Induced by a Recession," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 118(3), pages 1121-1167.
    4. Sharon A. Croisant & Yu-li Lin & Joseph J. Shearer & John Prochaska & Amanda Phillips-Savoy & James Gee & Daniel Jackson & Reynold A. Panettieri & Marilyn Howarth & John Sullivan & Bishop James Black , 2017. "The Gulf Coast Health Alliance: Health Risks Related to the Macondo Spill (GC-HARMS) Study: Self-Reported Health Effects," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-18, October.
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