Risa Cromer, Ph.D.

Risa Cromer (she/her) is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Purdue University where she teaches on gender studies, health politics, and science and technology studies. 

Cromer is a feminist cultural anthropologist specializing in the intersections of reproductive politics, religion, and race/racism in the United States. Her research has been supported by the Wenner Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, Institute for Citizens & Scholars, Luce Foundation, American Association of Religion, and American Association of University Women. She is the author of Conceiving Christian America: Embryo Adoption and Reproductive Politics (NYU Press 2023), which provides a timely look at the contemporary stakes of post-Roe America by examining the strategic inroads made by the U.S. Christian Right in the realm of assisted reproduction over the past quarter century. 

She co-leads the Reproductive Righteousness Project, and is working on her next book about post-Roe reproduction in red states. Cromer’s work has been featured in numerous peer-reviewed academic journals and popular outlets, including Medical Anthropology and Rewire News. 

Research Area: Reproductive Health and Rights


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Works By Risa Cromer, Ph.D.

Dr. Risa Cromer is a 2025-2026 PRRI Public Fellow focusing on reproductive health and rights. She is also an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Purdue University. For decades, conservative Christian organizations and allied legal advocates

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