Millennium Development Goals and Women’s Reproductive Health and Justice in African Countries in the Era of Global Neoliberalism, Neoconservatism and Fundamentalism

Abstract

AbstractWe examine the millennium development goals (MDGs) not only because they constitute an attempt by the Global North to steer development in the Global South but, crucially, for their vague articulation of women’s reproductive health and rights. Using a postcolonial lens, we highlight some of their shortcomings and paradoxes concerning women’s reproductive justice and problematise the absence of discourse focusing on reducing inequalities. At the core of these shortcomings is the limited reflection on or engagement with neoliberalism, neoconservativism and the growing religious fundamentalism, particularly its views on sexual and reproductive rights. While neoliberalism claims to offer women agency to make free choices, its emphasis on individuals as free entrepreneurs holding sole responsibility for their financial situation is a deterrent for most women, because neoliberalism simultaneously undermines the institutions that enable self-sufficiency. In addition, neoconservatism and religious fundamentalism focus on preserving traditional family structures, regarding marriage as a heterosexual institution and the rights of the unborn as central. This is particularly critical for women in the Global South, especially African countries, where the application of the gag rule by Global North funding agencies restricts access to sexual and reproductive rights, including abortion, in the name of protecting the unborn.