Journal article
Fears of white population decline: the politics of race, gender, reproductive justice, and white supremacy in the US
Journal of gender studies, Vol.34(5), pp.716-731
07/04/2025
DOI: 10.1080/09589236.2025.2468809
Abstract
In fall 2019, U.S. House of Representative Steve King (Republican) from Iowa addressed a local group of constituents by discussing his long-held beliefs about abortion, in particular his opposition towards exceptions for rape and incest. ’What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled those people out that were products of rape and incest? Would there be any population of the world left if we did that?’ he asked at the event in Urbandale, Iowa. His comments quickly made national headlines and colleagues on both side of the political isle publicly shunned his statement. Upon closer examination, however, King’s comments were not necessarily out of line with a growing far-right movement in the United States that has linked access to reproductive health care, including contraception and abortion, to white population decline. In this analysis, denial of reproductive and gender-based health care, as well as a rise in discourse sanctioning the loss of democratic power constitutes gender-based violence in support of white supremacy. I contend that making these connections provides a critical framework for understanding the centrality of increased reproductive control in the US and around the globe decades to come.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Fears of white population decline: the politics of race, gender, reproductive justice, and white supremacy in the US
- Creators
- Lina-Maria Murillo - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of gender studies, Vol.34(5), pp.716-731
- DOI
- 10.1080/09589236.2025.2468809
- ISSN
- 0958-9236
- eISSN
- 1465-3869
- Publisher
- ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 03/19/2025
- Date published
- 07/04/2025
- Academic Unit
- History; Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies; University College Courses
- Record Identifier
- 9984802410902771
Metrics
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