FAMU JOINED THE MONTH OF REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE

April has been declared the Month of Reproductive Justice by feminist, queer, and human rights collectives, reflecting the increasingly endangered state of the rights of women, queer individuals, and pregnant people. This initiative aims to raise awareness and resist the growing wave of conservative authoritarianism and pro-life activities around the world. In response to a call from the student body, which was endorsed by the Academic Senate of FAMU, the school has decided to symbolically support this initiative.

Reproductive justice encompasses every individual's right to freely make decisions about bodily autonomy, parenthood, and family life. In recent years, these freedoms have been increasingly threatened not only abroad but also in the Czech Republic. Conservative movements such as "Hnutí pro život" (Movement for Life) and "Aliance pro rodinu" (Alliance for the Family) are advocating for legislative and social changes that in practice restrict the rights of women, queer individuals, and communities that do not conform to the values of the so-called "traditional family." The spread of misinformation about abortions, pregnancy, and queer people, as well as the promotion of harmful measures—such as the introduction of public registers of women who have had abortions or the use of sirens instead of emergency contraception for rape victims from Ukraine—represent further steps toward the entrenchment of anti-women values that prioritize the life of the unborn fetus over the life of the mother, even in life-threatening pregnancies. In the past, representatives of "Hnutí pro život" and "Aliance pro rodinu" have also engaged in efforts to ban sexual education in schools, introduce conversion therapy, and systematically stigmatize the queer community.

In this context, we see FAMU as a space that can actively express its support for fundamental human rights, openness, and solidarity.