Abstract

Between when I wrote Mothers with Disabilities and Fall 2023, two major developments have occurred that justify revisiting this topic. The first is the COVID-19 pandemic, which dramatically changed all aspects of our work lives and home lives. The second is the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in 2022, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned a woman’s constitutional right to have an abortion. Both of these developments have unique, sometimes conflicting effects on mothers with disabilities.

Accordingly, this Article explores the workplace effects of the pandemic and the Dobbs decision on mothers with disabilities. Drawing on my prior work, Part II describes the workplace experience of mothers with disabilities. Part III explores how the pandemic affected mothers with disabilities and speculates about these effects going forward. Part IV discusses the possible effects from the Dobbs decision—including how the drastically diminished right to an abortion will affect women with disabilities both in general and in the workplace specifically. Finally, Part V attempts to end on a positive note—how we might find the silver lining from the clouds of the pandemic and the Dobbs decision.

This abstract has been taken from the author's introduction.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2024

Publication Information

77 Oklahoma Law Review 151-184 (2024)

Comments

Written for the symposium Rewriting the Script: Challenging Ableism and Advancing Justice in Sexuality, Reproduction, and Parenting for Disabled People (October 2023) held at the University of Oklahoma College of Law.

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