Reproductive Experiences of Poor Mothers in India: An Analysis of YouTube Documentaries

Abstract

Reproductive justice is based on the claim that “all fertile persons and persons who reproduce and become parents require a safe and dignified context for these most fundamental human experiences” (Ross & Solinger 2017, 8). For poor women in India, “a safe and dignified context” can often be conditional, partial, or even absent, in spite of the existence of several government maternity benefit schemes to ensure positive reproductive rights. Although the stories of poor Indian mothers are often silenced, there have been some efforts by activist filmmakers to document their experiences. Anhad Films has made two YouTube documentaries, “It Takes a Village to Save a Mother’s Life” and “Janam aur Jeevan” (Birth and Life), on the reproductive experiences of poor Indian mothers in rural locations. By analyzing the documentary texts, techniques, politics, and ethics in these two documentaries, and by referencing other related YouTube videos on reproductive experiences of poor and non-poor mothers in India, this chapter aims to interrogate the gaps between the policies of the state and the lived experiences of poor mothers. The analysis deploys an interdisciplinary lens resting between a reproductive justice approach and a documentary film studies framework.