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107 Va. L. Rev. Online 246 (2021)
From Carrie Buck to Britney Spears: Strategies for Disrupting the Ongoing Reproductive Oppression of Disabled People

handle is hein.journals/inbrf107 and id is 246 raw text is: VIRGINIA LAW REVIEW ONLINE VOLUME 107 OCTOBER 2021 246-271 ESSAY FROM CARRIE BUCK TO BRITNEY SPEARS: STRATEGIES FOR DISRUPTING THE ONGOING REPRODUCTIVE OPPRESSION OF DISABLED PEOPLE Robyn M. Powell* In June 2021, Britney Spears made headlines when she testified to a judge that she was being prevented from having children because her conservator would not allow her to stop using contraception. Britney Spears's dreadful experiences are a glaring reminder that nearly 100 years after the infamous Buck v. Bell decision, reproduction is still weaponized to subjugate people with disabilities. Indeed, the reproductive oppression experienced by Britney Spears and other people with actual or perceived disabilities is deeply entrenched in our laws, in our policies, and in our collective conscience. Confronting these persistent inequities will require us to radically transform our laws and policies. This Essay responds to the ongoing reproductive injustice experienced by disabled people by proposing a vision to assist activists, legal professionals, scholars, and policymakers conceive of and articulate the basic contours of a paradigm shift that supports the coalescence of the reproductive justice and disability justice * JD, PhD, Bruce R. Jacob Visiting Assistant Professor at Stetson University College of Law. Concepts from this Essay were presented during ReproAction's webinar, #FreeBritney? Respecting the Autonomy and Decision-Making of People with Disabilities, on September 29, 2020. This Essay was supported by a generous research grant from the Stetson University College of Law. I extend my appreciation to Edson Abadia, Jr., for his critical research assistance. 246