Loretta J. Ross (born August 16, 1953) is an American academic, feminist, and activist who advocates for reproductive justice, especially among women of color.

[1][3] Ross lost her scholarship from Radcliffe College of Harvard University when she decided to keep her son instead of placing for adoption.

[4] In 1970, Ross attended Howard University for her tertiary education after being denied admission to Radcliffe after officials found out about her child.

[3] During her undergraduate career at Howard, she became actively involved in black nationalist politics,[3] civil rights movements (feminism and antiracism),[5] and tenant organizing.

The device caused major negative health threats to its users,[6] especially inflicting harm on African American and poor communities[citation needed].

Loretta Ross received the Dalkon Shield at Howard University from a health clinic free of charge.

Clinic staff told her that her problem stemmed from a rare STD from having sex with GI soldiers that had come back from Vietnam.

After half a year of dealing with her disease brought on by Dalkon Shield, she developed a severe infection which resulted in a coma.

[4] Ross says that her doctor visited her after she had her operation and wrongly assumed that she would be happy to no longer need the usage of birth controls or deal with menstruation.

[7] Ross was among the first women of color to win the lawsuit against the manufacturer of Dalkon Shield, A.H. Robins[citation needed].

[1] In November 1980, the murder of her close friend and political ally, Yulanda Ward, became a turning point in Ross' life as an activist.

[14] The Rape Crises Center is vocal about providing support no matter the demographic of the person seeking assistance, a principle that Ross has exhibited throughout her career.

[16] By hiring Ross, a strong voice in the reproductive justice community, they hoped to show their support of issues that are unique to women of color.

In response to the Supreme Court's Webster decision in 1989, Ross co-coordinated production of the pathbreaking statement "We Remember: African American Women Are For Reproductive Freedom.

It connects the history of anti-black racism and misogyny with the right to bodily autonomy, highlighting moments like the Jim Crow era.

From 1991 to 1995, Ross was National Program Research Director for the Center for Democratic Renewal (formerly the National Anti-Klan Network), where she directed projects on right-wing organizations in South Africa, Klan and neo-Nazi involvement in anti-abortion violence, and human rights education in the U.S. CDR is a non-profit clearinghouse that provides information on hate groups which include the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi movement.

The organization's goal is to educate Americans about injustices that are often overlooked, promotes accountability, and addresses abuses of power and disenfranchisement.

Ross has testified on women's health and civil rights issues in many important settings including the UN, U.S. Congress, and the FDA.

Currently, Ross is working on her soon-to-be published book entitled Black Abortion that will focus on reproductive rights issues.

[7] Ross served as a visiting associate professor in the Women's Studies department at Hampshire College for the 2017-2018 academic year, teaching a course called "White Supremacy in the Age of Trump.

"[23] She also recently served as a Visiting Clinical Professor at Arizona State University in the School of Social Transformation teaching a 400-level course on Reproductive Justice.

[25] Her most recent book, Radical Reproductive Justice was published by Feminist Press in 2017 and co-edited by Lynn Roberts, Erika Derkas, Whitney Peoples, and Pamela Bridgewater-Toure, discusses over two decades of works of SisterSong.

[26] Recently Ross has spoken out against "call-out culture"[27] and has written and released a book entitled Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You'd Rather Cancel.

[33] Ross was featured in the book "The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds and Democracy" by Anand Giridharadas.