Reproductive Justice in the Premodern Classroom: Post-Roe Pedagogies

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization almost immediately transformed the present and future, with thirteen states upholding “trigger laws” that outlawed abortion that same day or within a month of its reversal of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey. Dobbs also utterly distorted the past, relying on spurious arguments and cherry-picked references to premodern precedent, disregarding the complexity of the primary sources it cites, let alone the wealth of evidence to the contrary that it ignores. Awareness of this complexity and the ways in which the past gets twisted to serve particular political agendas in the present is essential as Americans navigate a post-Roe world in which “alternative facts” combined with the increasing pervasiveness of AI make it even more difficult to distinguish truth from lies. Scholars have an obligation to help students critically assess this complexity and strengthen their abilities to think independently, making them less susceptible to manipulation by those currently trying to rewrite history so they can control the present and dictate the future. Our volume seeks to better equip scholars to meet that pedagogical responsibility. Its twelve essays, written by historians of premodern culture, language, literature, and religion with expertise in the fields of gender, law, medicine, sexuality, and science, make premodern materials accessible as they guide instructors in cultivating student engagement. I will discuss some of Dobbs’ distortions of this rich historical complexity and share a few pedagogical exercises from the volume.