Rethinking the Moral Authority of Experience: Critical Insights and Reflections from Black Women Scholars

Renewed calls for abortion-related research in the post-Roe era

“…Notably, concerns about the outcome of Roe and pressure from anti-abortion groups shaped the first federal “protections” governing research on pregnant patients—regulations first established in the 1970s that excluded pregnant women from clinical trials and created gaps in knowledge about prescription drug use during pregnancy and the postpartum period ( 25 , 26 ). In recent years, leading research and federal organizations have discussed the need to address these knowledge gaps and have called for a range of studies on reproductive and maternal health needs with an increased emphasis on the social, behavioral, biological, and environmental forces that shape health outcomes at the individual, local, state, and national levels ( 13 , 14 ). In response to these calls, equity-focused scholars have conducted a range of important studies that prioritize community perspectives and values ( 27–30 ).…”

“…These concerns are heightened in states and territories that restrict or ban abortion. Notably, eroding access to abortion care has the most profound and pernicious ramifications for Black families, as Black people are disproportionately burdened by various forms of economic and social inequalities that diminish birth equity and just access to all forms of reproductive healthcare ( 13 , 14 ).…”

“…Research ethics relates to the moral principles undergirding the design and execution of research projects, and concerns itself with the technicalities of ethical questions related to the research process, such as informed consent, power relations, and confidentiality (8). Critical insights and reflections from reproductive justice, community engagement, and applied ethics frameworks have bolstered existing research ethics scholarship and discourse by underscoring the importance of meaningful engagement with community stakeholders-bringing attention to overlapping structures of oppression, including racism, sexism, and ways that these structures are perpetuated in the research process (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19).…”