Our Mission
LSRJ trains and mobilizes law students and new lawyers across the country to foster legal expertise and support for the realization of reproductive justice. Board of Directors Rebecca Reingold President Lillian Hewko Vice President Erika Willis Secretary Brigitte Amiri Treasurer Erin Armstrong President Emerita Jill Adams Aimee Arrambide Janine Shissler Lara Shkordoff Cynthia Soohoo Aimee Thorne-Thomsen Advisory Board Maggie Crosby Walter Dellinger Kim Gandy Marcia Greenberger Angela Hooton Priscilla Huang Nancy Keenan Louise Melling Debra Ness Nancy Northrup Kim Parker Loretta Ross Vicki Saporta Reva Siegel Louise Slaughter Eleanor Smeal Jody Steinhauer Ann Stone Melissa Upreti Carlton Veazey Academic Advisory Council Jack Balkin Caitlin Borgmann Kim Buchanan Cary Franklin Nancy Ehrenreich Jesse Hill Lisa Ikemoto Dawn Johnsen Pam Karlan Kristin Luker Alice Miller Kim Mutcherson Nina Pillard Dorothy Roberts Mindy Roseman Neil Siegel Reva Siegel |
  
Like us on Facebook to stay connected to the movement, to LSRJ, and to eachother!
Follow us on Twitter to find out when we add new blog posts and to be a virtual attendee at LSRJ's Leadership Institute and Regional Conferences!
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*Foster the Future*
*Realize Rights*
*Support Students*
*Maintain their Might*
* L-O-V-E LSRJ *
*With a Generous Gift Today*
 
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Updated Human Rights Law Primer
Want to learn more about how international law and human rights law intersect with reproductive rights?
Download a copy of the Human Rights Law Primer, Second Edition!
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We are thrilled to welcome our four newest chapters, all facing serious opposition on their ideologically conservative campuses. Our chapter leaders at each school are determined, passionate, and dedicated law students who will certainly make their mark on the reproductive justice movement. Please join us in celebrating LSRJ chapters at:
University of Mississippi School of Law
University of Oklahoma College of Law
University of Utah College of Law
University of Wyoming School of Law
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On the Road with LSRJ
LSRJ is incredibly proud of our 80 active chapters and we're adding more every semester! We do this in part through visits to current and establishing chapters and visits with students interested in becoming part of the LSRJ family.
This fall, Sabrina Andrus, LSRJ's Director of Campus & Community Programs, has logged over 20,000 miles in her visits to chapters across the country, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Los Angeles, California, and from Iowa City, Iowa to Austin, Texas. She has met with law students for coffee, presented Reproductive Justice 101, hosted happy hours, introduced faculty to LSRJ, attended chapter events, driven across the entire state of Missouri, stayed in over ten different hotels, and picked up quite a few frequent flyer miles along the way!
And she's not the only LSRJ staff member on the road...Executive Director Jill Adams has visited Washington, D.C., San Diego, and New York City to meet with LSRJ supporters. And, Director of Academic & Professional Programs Mariko Miki traveled to Washington, D.C. to conduct site visits with the 2011-2012 Reproductive Justice Fellows and their placement organizations. Mariko meets with the Fellows in person every other month. Her next visit will be at the beginning of December.
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Public Interest Career Fairs
Drop by and see LSRJ!
San Francisco:
February 4th, 2012 at
New York:
February 9-10, 2012 at
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Intern for LSRJ this Spring!
Are you local to the Bay Area? Apply TODAY to intern at LSRJ's National Office during Spring semester.
Email mariko@lsrj.org for more information.
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Successful Partnership with NWLC
For the second year in a row, LSRJ and the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) hosted a series of webinars throughout the month of October entitled " If You Care..." and designed to highlight the intersection of reproductive justice and other critical social justice issues. Over 100 LSRJ members, allies, and alumni attended presentations that discussed the intersection of reproductive justice with LGBTQ issues, environmental justice, racial discrimination, and criminal justice. You can download all presentations on our Resources Page.
Thank you to all of our wonderful presenters!
Kim Inez-McGuire
Reproductive Health Technologies Project
Ashland Johnson
National Women's Law Center
Jill Morrison National Women's Law Center
Lynn Paltrow National Advocates for Pregnant Women
Morganne Rosenhaus Reproductive Health Technologies Project
Loretta Ross SisterSong
Maya Rupert National Center for Lesbian Rights |
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Have you Graduated?
Join our listserv to learn of new job and fellowship opportunities, relevant trainings in your area, and enriching pro bono and volunteer opportunities! Email alums@lsrj.org to join.
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*Foster the Future*
*Realize Rights*
*Support Students*
*Maintain their Might*
* L-O-V-E LSRJ *
*With a Generous Gift Today*
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Dear LSRJ activists, alumni, allies, and amici:
Helicopters, sirens, and chants have become the soundtrack to our work in downtown Oakland lately. Even after being ousted from Frank Ogawa/Oscar Grant Plaza a few blocks from here, the Occupy movement is still occupying space in our minds, conversations, and lives. Some of us have participated by striking, marching, or providing legal observation. When I'm there, I find myself captivated by the various messages conveyed through signs, songs, and images. One, in particular, caught my eye recently.
At this point, we can only experience justice as a dream, because the economic, legal, political, and cultural reality we live in is so far from it. Justice doesn't just happen though, so we have to keep dreaming, keep planning, keep resisting, keep acting, keep demanding.
I'm consistently inspired by the many dreamers among LSRJ's ranks. Their protest is different, of course, from the Occupy movement in many ways. They're not always camped out in tents on plazas, but they are camped out at tables in hallways across the country - handing out information, raising awareness, and rallying support. Their philosophical disputes aren't necessarily fought in the streets with bankers or brokers but rather in classrooms with professors and classmates. And, they don't have to fight city hall or police to stand their ground, but many battle Student Bar Associations that refuse to grant them the status or privileges of an official student organization. Many have their posters ripped down and their events shut down in the name of 'propriety' or 'order.' They are the courageous and embattled minority on their campuses in places like Utah, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and Mississippi where new chapters have just broken ground.
Whether it's LSRJ members standing up for their right to organize around reproductive justice; Arab youth rising up against corrupt regimes; or occupiers sticking up for the other 99%... this movement of the people pushing back against the powers that be is filled with inspirational signs that remind us the dream is still very much alive.
May we all keep dreaming of justice, and may nothing awaken us but the sound of victory bells. 
In solidarity,
Jill E. Adams
Executive Director
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Celebrating the Fierce Advocacy of our Fordham Chapter
Evasive administration? Getting the runaround via email for months on end? Lack of a clear policy on the prescription of birth control for students? Check, check, and check. Our Fordham chapter helps remind us that the fight for access to preventive health care is an issue that affects us all. Facing obstacle upon obstacle, they are determined to ensure that their fellow students can access low-cost birth control, despite the fact that they attend a Catholic institution that refuses to dispense or prescribe it in the health center, save for very limited circumstances.
Fordham LSRJ first asked the University for documentation of its policy to not provide or prescribe birth control to any student on its campus over eight months ago in preparation for a panel with Catholic theologians to discuss the doctrine behind the policies, but the documentation never came. Instead, they were met with vague responses and an administration seemingly determined NOT to provide the information requested.
After months of being passed around from administrator to administrator, the leadership at Fordham LSRJ decided to take direct action, and doctors from the Institute for Family Health and the Reproductive Health Access Project were more than happy to help. They agreed to help chapter leaders, together with Fordman Woman Law, put on a health fair on November 30th that will provide Fordham students with free birth control prescriptions, free condoms, and information on the University's policies (plus reproductive rights jeopardy!).
But the battle was far from over. After securing off-campus space for the health fair (because, of course, the fair could not be held anywhere on Fordham's campus), the chapter leaders were abruptly informed that the space had been revoked, as Fordham rents space on completely different floors from the rented space in the same building. After a bit of scrambling, a new space has been secured.
Chapter leader Bridgette Dunlap says, "the amount of time organizing this has taken and the fear of being thrown out of school haven't been very conducive to studying, but it has been worth it. The law school student body and faculty have been extremely supportive, grateful and proud of our efforts. Students have shared their stories with us of how the University's practices have affected their lives and health and an important conversation has begun on campus. And the University seems to be taking our concerns a bit more seriously since we decided to take matters into our own hands." For more information about the health fair, to provide support, or simply give them a shout-out, the chapter leadership can be reached at fordhamlsrj@gmail.com. Law school, with its clinics and classes and exams and externships, leaves little room for campus activism, but the passion, dedication, and tenacity of the Fordham LSRJ chapter leaders inspires and re-invigorates! |
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Terrific Turnout in Texas!
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Professor Carol Sanger
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On November 10th, LSRJ and the Center for Reproductive Rights' Law School Initiative co-sponsored an event at the University of Texas at Austin entitled Visualizing the Fetus: Implications of Mandatory Ultrasound Laws. Over 70 law students, lawyers, and community members came to hear Columbia University School of Law Professor Carol Sanger speak about the recent Texas law requiring women seeking abortions to view an ultrasound scan and wait 24 hours prior to terminating her pregnancy.
Professor Sanger grounded her remarks in the larger context of how an ultrasound scan has become much more than a routine visit to the doctor for many women, whether or not they are carrying a wanted pregnancy. Mandatory ultrasound laws, like the one in Texas, essentially force women to partake in an experience fraught with societal implications about what it means to be a pregnant person. Not only that, the laws imply that a woman cannot be trusted to understand what is going on with her own body. Instead, she must be guided by an enthusiastic technician who, most likely, has chosen to join this profession for the joy that it brings, thereby dismissing the potential that the woman receiving the ultrasound does not wish to partake in the process.
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University of Texas at Austin LSRJ Chapter Leaders
Back l to r: Catherine Wagner, Evan Monez, Ambrosia Ortiz y Prentice, Lily Houseman, AJ Smullen, Marc Calderaro, & Rene Mai
Front l to r: Andrew Bluebond, Maggie Cheu, & Miki Alvarado
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UT Austin's Vice Provost Gretchen Ritter followed Professor Sanger's remarks with some comments of her own, and then Texas House of Representatives member Donna Howard and NARAL Pro-Choice Texas Legislative Counsel Blake Rocap provided insight into the creation of the Texas bill.
 | | LSRJ members speak with alums Heather Busby ('07, South Texas College of Law) and Shailey Gupta-Brietzke ('07, South Texas College of Law) |
Members of the community, LSRJ alumni and members, attorneys, and speakers then continued the conversation at an informal reception following the presentations.
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Updated Course Survey Results Announced
The updated Reproductive Rights Law & Justice Course Survey results are in! Download a copy today. The Survey shows positive trends: a record number of RRLJ courses were taught during the 2010-11 academic year. Yet, we still have our work cut out for us: only 1 in 5 law schools offer RRLJ courses to students.
To read about the coverage the Course Survey has gotten, check out the blog post featured on Ms. JD and on Slate XX. For a student perspective on campaigning for courses, please read a RepoRepro blog post by LSRJ chapter leaders Nikola Nable-Juris and Meredith Leeson at the University of Maryland School of Law.
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Alums & Allies in NYC, D.C., and Seattle
Our Alumni Network is growing by the minute and we wanted to celebrate! In October, we hosted two happy hour fundraisers with our alums and allies in Washington, D.C. and New York City. And in November, Seattle area LSRJ members, alums, and supporters met after listening to an excellent and engaging presentation on abortion laws in Colombia by attorney Monica Roa from Women's Link Worldwide.
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Jeryl Hayes ('11, Washington University) & Jessie Leigh Swenson ('10, UC Hastings) in Washington, D.C.
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In D.C. and New York City, folks braved the cold and rain to share stories and reconnect. LSRJ staff introduced the newest chapters doing work on ideologically conservative campuses and gave updates on our Reproductive Justice Fellowship Program, our Human Rights Law Primer, and more.
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Kanika Chander ('08, Columbia), Sabrina Andrus (Director of Campus & Community Programs), Michele Storms (Director, Gates Public Interest Law Program, University of Washington), Hilary Hammell ('12, University of Washington) in Seattle.
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We love bringing together our alums, allies, and members, so if you want to host an event in your area, drop us a line!
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RJ Fellows Going Strong in D.C.
The eight RJ Fellows are striving and thriving as they adjust to their placement organizations and the world of federal legal and policy advocacy. In addition to participating in LSRJ-sponsored trainings on policy writing with Sarah Lipton-Lubet ('06, Yale Law School), coalition work with Priscilla Huang ('06, American University Washington College of Law) and Elizabeth Barajas-Roman, and public speaking with Chris Jahnke, the Fellows have presented at conferences, met heavy hitters like President Obama, Michelle Obama, and Justice Scalia, and infused new passion and energy into the RJ movement.
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l to r: Mariko Miki (Director of Academic & Professional Programs), Erin Armstrong, Anjela Jenkins, Shivana Jorawar, Rebecca Spence, Keely Monroe, Lucy Panza,
and Lorena Marez (not pictured: Marisa Spalding)
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 Kyle Marie Stock ('10, University of Texas School of Law) has just finished her first year of three as the Reproductive Justice and Health Law Fellow at the Southwest Women's Law Center in Albuquerque, NM, a state-based policy and advocacy organization. SWLC is a small organization with a handful of focus areas, including Title IX work on girls and sports, domestic violence and sexual assault and fair housing, and ACA implementation. As a Fellow, Kyle focuses her work on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and is becoming very knowledgeable about Medicaid, insurance exchanges, and administrative advocacy.
When asked how her involvement in LSRJ influenced and helped her career (aside from founding the chapter at UT Austin!), Kyle told us, "I was invited to speak at the Leadership Institute and it was very empowering, because someone said, 'you're a leader, and you have something to say' and it made me realize I can contribute to the organization and the movement. That has really helped me in my current job, as I often give talks about the ACA. My experience at the Leadership Institute helped remind me that I can do that and it can be fun! Plus, starting a chapter really forced me to seek out the information I needed from the university, which was a valuable lesson since in RJ work we're not always dealing with people who are sympathetic to the cause."
Kyle knows how important it is to pay it forward. She encourages law students and lawyers working in the private sector to get involved in the public interest world in other ways. "If you don't have time to serve on a board or work closely with a non-profit organization, there are other ways to contribute, whether by donating money or stuffing envelopes. If that is all you have time for, just providing financial support to LSRJ helps to build chapters, send out activism materials, or send someone to the Leadership Institute, which in turn helps sustain the movement."
Thank you for your awesome advocacy, Kyle! We are proud to call you an LSRJ alum! |
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Blogging for RJ
Our current crop of resident bloggers has been hard at work this fall, sharing their thoughts on campus activism on our blog RepoRepro. Check out their writing and add our blog to your reader!
Ruthless Booger - Burke Bindbeutel ('13, University of Missouri School of Law) discusses the apparent connection between football and sexual assault.
Storytelling as Recruitment Tool - Mallory Carlberg ('13, University of Oklahoma College of Law) reflects on the importance of sharing and listening to personal stories of reproductive oppression with colleagues as a way to advocate for reproductive justice.
Reflections on Community Organizing - Candace Gibson ('12, University of Utah College of Law) draws upon her experience as a community organizer to start a chapter at the University of Utah.
Birthing Options & RJ - Shandanette Molnar ('13, George Washington University Law School) explores the connection between her RJ advocacy and her work as a labor and birth doula.
Challenges of a Conservative Campus - Susy Prochazka ('13, Thomas Jefferson School of Law) explains that she and her chapter leadership face explicit and subtle opposition to their work from students and administration.
Two Open Letters to LSAC Regarding Nursing Mothers Taking the LSAT - Joanne Caceres ('13, Harvard Law School) shares her thoughts on the recent decision made by the Law School Admission Council to refuse to accommodate a nursing mother during the administration of the LSAT. You can read more about the LSAC's decision in an entry cross-posted from the ACLU Women's Rights Project.
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With sincerity and in solidarity,
Law Students for Reproductive Justice
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