Exam #2 | Second-Wave Feminism and Reproductive Rights Evolution

Answered Question 1, Focused On Lecture 8 to Answer Question 2

Who coined the term “second-wave feminism”?

Martha Weinman Lear

When was “second-wave feminism” coined?

1968 in The New York Times Magazine

Why did feminists adopt the wave analogy?

They felt it captured progress and achievements in the women’s movement

Meaning of the “tide of change” analogy?

A movement steadily pushing forward and advancing progress

Meaning of the “underground lava flow” analogy?

Slow Moving

Analogy used in the answer?

The women’s movement as an “underground lava flow”

Why the lava flow analogy fits the movement?

Activism often progressed slowly and faced resistance before creating major shifts

Second Wave Feminism (focus)?

Reproductive rights

Second Wave example used?

The National Organization for Women (NOW) mobilizing for gender equality and reproductive rights

Roe v. Wade (1973)?

Supreme Court ruling legalizing abortion in the U.S.

Significance of Roe v. Wade?

Represents the “eruption” of long-term activism into a major

Third Wave Feminism (focus)?

Intersectionality

Third Wave example used?

Growth of intersectional feminist ideas and broader inclusion

Fourth Wave Feminism (focus)?

Digital activism

Connection between waves and the analogy?

Each wave builds on earlier activism

Overall argument of the answer?

The women’s movement resembles a slow-building force that eventually produces transformative

Abortion legality before 1825?

Legal under British common law until “quickening”

Quickening?

The stage of pregnancy when fetal movement is first detected; historically used as the legal boundary for abortion permissibility

Offences Against the Person Act (1861 – Canada)?

Law that criminalized abortion in Canada

Comstock Act (1873 – U.S.)?

Federal law banning distribution of “obscene” materials

Impact of 19th-century legislation?

Shifted abortion from a common medical practice to a criminalized act

Emma Goldman?

Early 20th-century activist who advocated for birth control and challenged restrictive reproductive laws

Margaret Sanger?

Birth control pioneer who pushed for contraceptive access and founded organizations that led to Planned Parenthood

Role of first-wave feminism?

Highlighted women's bodily autonomy and campaigned for reproductive freedom as part of broader gender equality

Radical feminist contributions?

Emphasized reproductive rights as central to dismantling patriarchy and systemic control over women's bodies

Significance of Roe v. Wade (reproductive rights context)?

Marked a major shift toward recognizing reproductive autonomy as a fundamental right

Societal attitudes toward women’s fertility?

Historical perception that women’s reproductive capacities should be controlled by law

Ongoing legal challenges?

Persistent attempts to limit abortion access and reproductive rights through policy

Intersection of reproductive rights and oppression?

Reproductive control reflects broader systems of inequality

Overall theme of Lecture 8?

The struggle for reproductive rights is central to women’s rights movements and reflects long-standing conflicts over autonomy and authority