“An Ethnography of the Medicalization of Puerto Rican Women’s Reproduction.” In Pragmatic Women and Body Politics (Cambridge Studies in Medical Anthropology). Ed. Margaret Lock and Patricia A. Kaufert. Vol. 5. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 1998. 240-59.
Discusses a salient relationship between sterilization’s history as a population control tactic and how Puerto Rican women’s reproductive choices have become defined and placed within a public policy framework. This article highlights a difference between individual choice and public policies, how the two interact, and how gender, race and class relate to these reproductive choices.
“Sterilization Among Puerto Rican Women in New York City: Public Policy and Social Constraints.” In Cities of the United States: Studies in Urban Anthropology. Ed. Leith Mullings. New York: Columbia UP, 1987.
Looks explicitly at the role of race and class in sterilization choices and presents an analysis of the issue based on socioeconomic status of the women. Defines concepts of “fertility choice” and what makes an action “voluntary.” Argues that a wide range of factors contribute to this “choice.”
“Reflection and Rebirth: The Evolving Life of a Latina Academic.” In Telling to Live: Latina Feminist Testimonios. Comp. The Latina Feminist Group. Ed. Sonia Saldívar-Hull, Walter D. Mignolo, and Irene Silverblatt. Durham: Duke UP, 2001. 69-85. Latin America Otherwise: Languages, Empires, Nations.
Gives a dynamic and immensely personal overview of Dr. Lopez’s growth as a Puerto Rican woman from childhood to adult professional. Highlights definitive moments and stages of Dr. Lopez’s life by defining her own personal and cultural community.
“Agency and Constraint: Sterilization and Reproductive Freedom Among Puerto Rican Women in New York.” Situated Lives: Gender and Culture in Everyday Life. Ed. Louise Lamphere, Helena Ragoné, and Patricia Zavella. New York: Routledge, 1997. 157-74.
Defines the description of women as “active agents” of reproductive decisions and differentiates this from descriptions of free will and lack of oppression. Describes the variety of experiences of sterilized women and examines the dynamic and contradictions of constraints in making reproductive health decisions.
“Borinkis and Chop Suey: Puerto Rican Identity in Hawai’i, 1900 to 2000.” In The Puerto Rican Diaspora: Historical Perspectives. Ed. Carmen T. Whalen and Víctor Vásquez-Hernández. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 2005. 43-67.
Focuses primarily on the topic of multiculturalism and defining and maintaining ethnic identity and what it means to be Puerto Rican and Hispanic in the United States and in the wake of increased globalization.