Reproductive Justice Horizons

Dr El Jones is a spoken word poet, an educator, journalist, and a community activist living in African Nova Scotia. She was the fifth Poet Laureate of Halifax. In 2016, El was a recipient of the Burnley “Rocky” Jones human rights award for her community work and work in prison justice. She is a co-founder of the Black Power Hour, a live radio show with incarcerated people on CKDU that creates space for people inside to share their creative work and discuss contemporary social and political issues, and along with this work, she supports women in Nova Institution in writing and sharing their voices. Dr Jones was recently named the Nancy's Chair of Women's Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University for the 2017-2019 term. Her book of spoken word poetry, Live from the Afrikan Resistance! was published by Roseway Press in 2014. El would like to pay tribute to the many nameless and unrecognized women whose work makes it possible for her to be here today. 

Jessica Googoo: My name is Jessica Googoo, I am a mi’kmaq woman from We`koq`maq First Nation in Cape Breton. I have spent the first 22 years on my life on the reservation and joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 2007, after serving almost 9 years in the military I stayed in Halifax after I decided to release. I knew from a young age that I wanted to help my community. I spent many years doing different jobs, schooling, and honestly wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do, looking up to my older sister`s I decided I wanted to be a nurse as well, however I really didn’t enjoy going back to university, so I decided to work for a bit before I went back to a trade and became a medical lab assistant. I worked for a short while at the IWK and after having my daughter at the end of 2023 I decided to apply for the position of Indigenous Hospital Support Coordinator, to me this was the best of both worlds, I could help my people and stay in the medical field. Everyday is different and I am so proud of my organization Tajikeimik and what they mean to the Indigenous community.

Anja McLeod is a master's student in Sociology at Dalhousie, working in Research and Communications with Dr. Paynter at the University of New Brunswick. She is a third-generation birth worker and abolitionist with a focus on knowledge translation and mobilizing health research into accessible resources for community members. She/her.

Megan MacDonald is a recent graduate from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. Prior to law school, Meg completed her Masters of Arts with a feminist philosophy focus on anti-black racism in the philosophy classroom. During law school, Meg worked with the Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia to coordinate the Record Suspension Clinic and as an advocate for survivors of sexualized violence. Currently, Meg is interested in making prison law topics accessible to the public. In Meg’s free time she creates colourful works of clay such as small worms wearing a variety of hats, as well as artwork inspired by the inside of computers, and the molecular structure of cells.

Megan Rowe, originally from Montreal, QC, moved to Halifax, NS two years ago to complete a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree at Dalhousie University. She is in the final stages of the degree and is working on completing her master’s thesis which seeks to explore non-police mental health crisis response programs in Canada. Meg’s research focuses on the interplay of critical theories, including critical race theory, mad studies, and transformative justice; her focus has been on advancing and elaborating their integration within mental health systems. Meg hopes to pursue a doctoral degree upon completing her MSW to continue contributing to the development of knowledge focused on anti-carceral mental health care. In her spare time, Meg enjoys spending time outdoors, exploring restaurants around the city, and walking dogs! She/her.

Chloe Fuller: I am a master’s student in applied forensic psychology at Saint Mary’s University. I completed my undergrad at Dalhousie with honours in psychology and a minor in law, justice, and society. My research interests and focuses are on the rights and experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ people with the criminal justice system and incarceration, gender-based violence, restorative justice, and prison abolition.

Dr. Shanté Blackmore is Mi’kmaw and African Nova-Scotian and was raised on the Millbrook First Nation reserve. Her cultural background and upbringing with strong community values has been a driving force behind her advocacy and informs the way she approaches her day to day work. She completed her MD at Western University in 2021 and returned home to Nova Scotia to complete her Family Medicine Residency training at Dalhousie University. She is currently completing enhanced skills training in Women’s health and Gender-affirming care through the Department of Family Medicine and will be joining the Wije’winen Health Centre this Fall. 

Clare Heggie is a PhD student at the University of New Brunswick, supervised by Dr. Martha Paynter and supported by a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. She has been the Research Coordinator for Wellness Within for the past four years. In this role and in her PhD work she conducts community-engaged research on the sexual and reproductive health needs and outcomes of people experiencing incarceration.

Natasha Hines is a registered nurse working in abortion care in Halifax (K'jipuktuk), Nova Scotia who graduated from the Dalhousie University Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. She is passionate about providing accessible reproductive care and creating a safe environment for her patients. Outside of reproductive healthcare, Natasha's nursing background includes working in oncology and medicine services. She also helps to teach the Interprofessional Care of Surgical and Medical Abortion Course at Dalhousie University. She/her.

Zilla Jones, J.D., B.M.A., is of Afro-Caribbean and multiracial descent. She received her Bachelor of Musical Arts from Canadian Mennonite University in 2003 and graduated from Robson Hall Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba in 2011 with fourth highest standing in the class. She was called to the Manitoba Bar in 2012. She practices criminal defence and human rights law with her own firm, Jones Law Office, and has appeared at every level of court in Manitoba and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Zilla is also a sessional lecturer at Robson Hall. She has presented on Black history, anti-Black racism and criminal law topics to numerous organizations, including the University of Manitoba, Red River College, Law Society of Manitoba, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Commission, Islamic Social Services Agency of Manitoba, and many others.

She is Chair of the Board of Directors of the John Howard Society of Manitoba and sits on the Board of the John Howard Society of Canada. Zilla is also an award-winning fiction writer with two books being published in 2025 and 2026. 

CJ Blennerhassett is a Registered Midwife with eight years of clinical practice providing primary care, specializing in prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, newborn, and sexual and reproductive health. CJ has completed a Masters of Health Administration from Dalhousie University.

CJ is President of the Canadian Association of Midwives and within this role works with midwifery, government, and health system leaders from all provinces and territories to advocate for the growth of midwifery and ultimately the increased access to improved outcomes for families. CJ is Vice President of the Association of Nova Scotia Midwives and has worked within the provincial government’s department of health and wellness in system integration and health services planning.

CJ has speaking experience across interprofessional audiences, appearing at conferences and conducting workshops about the provision of inclusive care for queer, transgender and non-binary patients. CJ strongly believes that the midwifery philosophy of informed choice is foundational to the provision of inclusive health care and that patients are experts in their own care.

CJ is a parent and a volunteer firefighter with Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency where she is proud to serve her community as a first responder.

Elizabeth Clark is the Executive Director at EFryNB, where she oversees various projects aiming to support women and gender-diverse individuals who are caught in the cycle of victimization and criminalization. She is a PhD student at Dalhousie University, where she works with the Resilience Research Centre. In her research, she aims to gain an understanding of the lived experiences of those involved in human trafficking in New Brunswick.