Anthropology Conference Hosts NAPW Executive Director

The American Anthropological Association conference will feature a panel called,
"Practicing Activism: A Conversation with Lynn Paltrow" including remarks by discussants Monica Casper and Linda Layne. The program lakes place in New Orleans this Saturday, November 20 from 10:15 - 12:00

The Advocacy Committee of the Council on Anthropology and Reproduction seeks to ensure that anthropologists have a voice in public conversations about reproductive and sexual rights and health. This year we are proud to host a conversation with Lynn Paltrow, Executive Director of the National Advocates for Pregnant Women, an organization that challenges efforts to criminalize pregnancy and motherhood, establish fetal rights under the law, and expand the war on drugs to women's wombs. Paltrow is a reproductive rights lawyer and legal advocate committed to building bridges and aligning agendas across diverse health and social justice movements. Paltrow will discuss the relationship between corporate personhood and fetal personhood initiatives, as exemplified by the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to recognize corporate personhood under the Constitution by extending First Amendment free speech protections to corporations seeking to influence elections. Meanwhile, pregnant women have yet to be recognized as full persons under the Constitution, and anti-abortion groups continue to push for recognition of fetal personhood under the Constitution. The 5-4 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission over- turned approximately 100 years of precedents, reminding us that no constitutional precedent is secure. Paltrow will emphasize the intersections of legal and social science activism, focusing on how academic and applied anthropologists can build alliances with local organizers and activists to influence national advocacy and policy work. The goal of this panel is to facilitate collaboration, in- crease and improve communication about anthropological engagement and to encourage academic and applied anthropologists to exercise a strong, effective voice in public policy.

Also, please come and learn more about CAR at our Business Meeting on Friday, November 19, 12:15 – 1:30 pm and the CAR reception Saturday, November 20, 7 – 9 pm.

The CAR Advocacy Committee would like to thank our co-sponsors, AFA and SANA, as well as the SMA for their support of this special event.

Want to learn more about the Council on Anthropology and Reproduction, a Special Interest Group of the SMA? You can find us on-line.