Matters of Choice: Puerto Rican Women's Struggle for Reproductive Freedom
by Iris Lopez
Rutgers University Press, 2008 eISBN: 978-0-8135-8090-6 | Paper: 978-0-8135-4373-4 | Cloth: 978-0-8135-4372-7 Library of Congress Classification HQ766.5.P8L66 2008 Dewey Decimal Classification 363.97097295
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Sterilization remains one of the most popular forms of fertility control in the world, but it has received little acknowledgment for decreasing birthrates on account of its dubious use as a means of population control, especially in developing countries.
In Matters of Choice, Iris Lopez presents a comprehensive analysis of the dichotomous views that have portrayed sterilization either as part of a coercive program of population control or as a means of voluntary, even liberating, fertility control by individual women. Drawing upon her twenty-five years of research on sterilized Puerto Rican women from five different families in Brooklyn, Lopez untangles the interplay between how women make fertility decisions and their social, economic, cultural, and historical constraints. Weaving together the voices of these women, she covers the history of sterilization and eugenics, societal pressures to have fewer children, a lack of adequate health care, patterns of gender inequality, and misinformation provided by doctors and family members.
Lopez makes a stirring case for a model of reproductive freedom, taking readers beyond victim/agent debates to consider a broader definition of reproductive rights within a feminist anthropological context.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Iris Lopez is the director of the Latin American and Caribbean studies program and an associate professor in the department of sociology at the City College of New York. She is coauthor of Telling to Live: Latina Feminist Testimonios.
REVIEWS
In this unique and compelling book, Iris Lopez not only encourages a rethinking of reproductive models but features women's own voices and life experiences. I recommend Matters of Choice to anyone interested in learning more about how the national, class and racist legacies of reproductive policies influence the lives of women today.
— Dr. Alice Col=n Warren, Researcher, Social Science Research Center, University of Puerto Rico
"In Matters of Choice, Iris Lopez presents a nuanced analysis of the
multiple forces that lead to high sterilization rates of Puerto Rican
women. Using their voices, Lopez illuminates women's reproductive
agency, pushing us to think more deeply about the meaning of la
operación.
— Patricia Zavella, professor of Latin American and Latino Studies, University of California, Santa
"A heart-wrenching look at US domination over working-class Puerto Rican women that has been largely unexplored until now."
— Juan Flores, author of The Diaspora Strikes Back
"Matters of Choice is that rare work of scholarship whose ideas and rich findings are central to the literatures on social movements and gender studies. Lopez explodes the usual binary of victim vs. free agent and helps us to imagine what real reproductive justice might look like"
— Rosalind Petchesky, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Hunter College
"Lopez presents an integrated model that moves beyond the binary of choice and constraint to locate the experiences of Puerto Rican women in a continuum....The integrated model provides an opportunity to better understand how personal, cultural, social, and historical factors operate and inform reproductive decisions. Highly recommended."
— Choice
"Unlike previous work on women's reproductive control, Lopez offers a more nuanced and complex understanding as to why [sterilization] has been so popular among Puetro Riquenas. It is written in an engaging, clear, and accessible manner...essential reading for those interested in the social construction of the body, reproduction, and Latina women's experiences."
— Feminist Formations (Formerly NWSA Journal)
"Lopez's work fills a tremendous void in the social science literature about Puerto Rican women's lives and fertility. One of the more impressive aspects of this work is the depth of the ethnographic interviews: each woman's voice rings loud and clear. Matters of Choice should be standard reading for students of the Puerto Rican and Latina condition, and not just female students but all students."
— Centro: Journal of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Part I: The Globalization of Sterilization: Birth Control or Population Control?
Chapter One: The Slippery Slope: Binary Thinking and the Ideology of Choice
Chapter Two: The Making of the Birth Control Movement in Puerto Rico: Universal and Unique
Chapter Three: Changing Gender Consciousness Across Generations
Part II: Cultural Continuities and Urban Change: Intergenerational Perspectives
Chapter Four: The Velez Family: Poverty, the Cancer Scare, and Hysterectomies
Chapter Five: The Robles Family: Social Change & Gender Struggle
Chapter Six: The Gomez Family: Under the Knife Again-Reversing La Operación
Chapter Seven: The Morales and Rivera Families: Tough Love and Sterile Choices
Part III: Reproductive Rights and an Integral Model of Reproductive Freedom
Chapter Eight: El Matadero: Cultural Ideologies and Inequities in the Health Care System
Chapter Nine: Beyond Choice: Toward an Integral Feminist Model of Reproductive Freedom
Appendix: Genealogical Charts
Bibliography
Index
Matters of Choice: Puerto Rican Women's Struggle for Reproductive Freedom
by Iris Lopez
Rutgers University Press, 2008 eISBN: 978-0-8135-8090-6 Paper: 978-0-8135-4373-4 Cloth: 978-0-8135-4372-7
Sterilization remains one of the most popular forms of fertility control in the world, but it has received little acknowledgment for decreasing birthrates on account of its dubious use as a means of population control, especially in developing countries.
In Matters of Choice, Iris Lopez presents a comprehensive analysis of the dichotomous views that have portrayed sterilization either as part of a coercive program of population control or as a means of voluntary, even liberating, fertility control by individual women. Drawing upon her twenty-five years of research on sterilized Puerto Rican women from five different families in Brooklyn, Lopez untangles the interplay between how women make fertility decisions and their social, economic, cultural, and historical constraints. Weaving together the voices of these women, she covers the history of sterilization and eugenics, societal pressures to have fewer children, a lack of adequate health care, patterns of gender inequality, and misinformation provided by doctors and family members.
Lopez makes a stirring case for a model of reproductive freedom, taking readers beyond victim/agent debates to consider a broader definition of reproductive rights within a feminist anthropological context.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Iris Lopez is the director of the Latin American and Caribbean studies program and an associate professor in the department of sociology at the City College of New York. She is coauthor of Telling to Live: Latina Feminist Testimonios.
REVIEWS
In this unique and compelling book, Iris Lopez not only encourages a rethinking of reproductive models but features women's own voices and life experiences. I recommend Matters of Choice to anyone interested in learning more about how the national, class and racist legacies of reproductive policies influence the lives of women today.
— Dr. Alice Col=n Warren, Researcher, Social Science Research Center, University of Puerto Rico
"In Matters of Choice, Iris Lopez presents a nuanced analysis of the
multiple forces that lead to high sterilization rates of Puerto Rican
women. Using their voices, Lopez illuminates women's reproductive
agency, pushing us to think more deeply about the meaning of la
operación.
— Patricia Zavella, professor of Latin American and Latino Studies, University of California, Santa
"A heart-wrenching look at US domination over working-class Puerto Rican women that has been largely unexplored until now."
— Juan Flores, author of The Diaspora Strikes Back
"Matters of Choice is that rare work of scholarship whose ideas and rich findings are central to the literatures on social movements and gender studies. Lopez explodes the usual binary of victim vs. free agent and helps us to imagine what real reproductive justice might look like"
— Rosalind Petchesky, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Hunter College
"Lopez presents an integrated model that moves beyond the binary of choice and constraint to locate the experiences of Puerto Rican women in a continuum....The integrated model provides an opportunity to better understand how personal, cultural, social, and historical factors operate and inform reproductive decisions. Highly recommended."
— Choice
"Unlike previous work on women's reproductive control, Lopez offers a more nuanced and complex understanding as to why [sterilization] has been so popular among Puetro Riquenas. It is written in an engaging, clear, and accessible manner...essential reading for those interested in the social construction of the body, reproduction, and Latina women's experiences."
— Feminist Formations (Formerly NWSA Journal)
"Lopez's work fills a tremendous void in the social science literature about Puerto Rican women's lives and fertility. One of the more impressive aspects of this work is the depth of the ethnographic interviews: each woman's voice rings loud and clear. Matters of Choice should be standard reading for students of the Puerto Rican and Latina condition, and not just female students but all students."
— Centro: Journal of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Part I: The Globalization of Sterilization: Birth Control or Population Control?
Chapter One: The Slippery Slope: Binary Thinking and the Ideology of Choice
Chapter Two: The Making of the Birth Control Movement in Puerto Rico: Universal and Unique
Chapter Three: Changing Gender Consciousness Across Generations
Part II: Cultural Continuities and Urban Change: Intergenerational Perspectives
Chapter Four: The Velez Family: Poverty, the Cancer Scare, and Hysterectomies
Chapter Five: The Robles Family: Social Change & Gender Struggle
Chapter Six: The Gomez Family: Under the Knife Again-Reversing La Operación
Chapter Seven: The Morales and Rivera Families: Tough Love and Sterile Choices
Part III: Reproductive Rights and an Integral Model of Reproductive Freedom
Chapter Eight: El Matadero: Cultural Ideologies and Inequities in the Health Care System
Chapter Nine: Beyond Choice: Toward an Integral Feminist Model of Reproductive Freedom
Appendix: Genealogical Charts
Bibliography
Index
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC