Born and Raised: The Politics of Reproduction in Canada

At their core, laws and policies regulate who should reproduce, how they should do so, and what kinds of families matter.As feminist historian Laura Briggs writes, “All politics are reproductive politics.”In Canada, as elsewhere, evolving reproductive technologies, uneven care infrastructures, restrictive family migration policies, and inequitable access to healthcare services determine who has control over their reproductive lives - and who does not. This interdisciplinary volume interrogates the contemporary climate of reproductive justice in Canada, examining how law, public policy, and other institutions shape reproductive decision making. Born and Raised situates reproduction in Canada’s nation-building project, exploring how experiences of parenting, sterilization, miscarriage, abortion access, breastfeeding, and intergenerational care, among others, are shaped by longstanding legacies of racism, colonialism, and eugenics.