Dana - Ain Davis THE POLITICS OF REPRODUCTION : THE TROUBLING CASE OF NADYA SULEMAN AND ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE

On January 26, 2009, Nadya Suleman gave birth to the nation’s second set of octuplets. Over the course of 30 days Ms. Suleman became the subject of outrage and outrageous representations over her choice to have in vitro fertilization since she already had six children. Embedded in Suleman’s public construction and representations are subtle transcripts of race, class, and reproduction. This article examines these intersections as they relate to stratified reproduction, neoliberal reification of choice in the reproductive marketplace and the silence of mainstream reproductive rights groups in challenging the discourse surrounding Suleman. This discourse is similar to that which has historically been used to justify restricting the reproductive trajectories of women of color, poor and low-income women.