Abortion stigma as a social process

Millar, Erica

doi:10.1016/j.wsif.2019.102328

Cited by 37 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Our findings engage with the concern voiced by other researchers that studies focused on measuring stigma may reify the centrality of stigma in the abortion discourse -potentially missing opportunities to amplify the ways in which people exhibit agency or resist abortion stigma and to document the range of all experiences with abortion -whether positive, negative or neutral (4,32,33). There is a risk that the use of abortion stigma scales can inadvertently make stigma appear in response to the inquiry, or may overstate the extent of stigma.…”

Section: Community Condemnationsupporting

confidence: 64%

“…Our results suggest that participants may not have considered their abortion using framing such as “murder” or “wrong” before the interview. By posing these questions to participants, we risk introducing stigmatizing notions about abortion and placing the burden on individuals to manage these narratives during the research process ( 4 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Drawing on Goffman's foundational work on stigma ( 2 ), abortion stigma has been defined as “a negative attribute ascribed to women who seek to terminate a pregnancy that marks them, internally or externally, as inferior to ideals of womanhood” ( 3 ). More recently, scholars have challenged the notion that stigma is primarily located at the individual-level, expanding conceptions of stigma as “a socio-cultural process tied to the categories of difference upon which power relations are produced and legitimated” ( 4 ). Researchers have developed strategies to measure the extent and nature of this complex phenomenon with a range of methodologies; primarily focusing on individual-level perceptions, beliefs, and experiences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring Experiences Responding to the Individual Level Abortion Stigma Scale: Methodological Considerations From In-depth Interviews

Wollum

Makleff

Baum

2021

Front. Glob. Womens Health

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Background: The Individual-Level Abortion Stigma (ILAS) scale is a tool to measure multiple dimensions of stigma among people who have abortions. Despite use of the scale globally, little is known about participant experiences completing the scale. We assessed reactions to and experiences with the scale among women who obtained abortions in Mexico, exploring how the items made them feel about themselves and their abortion.Methods: We conducted 10 in-depth interviews with women approximately 6 months after their abortion. We explored experiences answering the ILAS overall as well as each sub-scale (self-judgement; worries about judgement; isolation; community condemnation). We used thematic analysis to examine overall experiences with the ILAS and framework analysis to summarize responses by sub-scale.Results: Many respondents reported positive experiences responding to the scale or said it served a therapeutic purpose. Other participants said the scale caused strong or mixed emotions or generated doubts. Women generally described mixed and negative reactions to the “worries about judgement” and “community condemnation” sub-scales, and more neutral or positive reactions to the “isolation” and “self judgement” sub-scales. Nearly all respondents hypothesized that completing the ILAS at the time of their abortion would be more difficult than responding months after their abortion.Conclusions: People can experience both positive and negative effects when responding to abortion stigma scales. Use of the scales may cause discomfort and introduce concepts that further perpetuate stigma. This study highlights the importance of carefully considering when it is appropriate to implement the scale and exploring safeguards for participants.

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Section: Community Condemnationsupporting

confidence: 64%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Exploring Experiences Responding to the Individual Level Abortion Stigma Scale: Methodological Considerations From In-depth Interviews

Wollum

Makleff

Baum

2021

Front. Glob. Womens Health

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“…This discursive work has material and subjective effects on those seeking abortion and those who make decisions about abortion provision. Given the enabling of telehealth abortion in the UK by the Conservative Party-led government, where the campaign to decriminalise abortion was less advanced than it was in SA in 2020, we suggest there can be no universalising application of a theory of 'abortion stigma' to explain the decision not to use emergency powers to enable telehealth abortion (Millar 2020;Weatherby 2019). This directs attention back to the local.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

When More is Less: Emergency Powers, COVID-19 and Abortion in South Australia, 2020

Baird

Flowers

Kevin

et al. 2022

Int J for Crime, Justice & Social Democracy

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In March 2020, when emergency powers legislation was invoked in South Australia to manage COVID-19, the South Australian Abortion Action Coalition (saaac) had been campaigning to decriminalise abortion since 2015. The group quickly realised that COVID-19 restrictions would amplify pre-existing difficulties for abortion providers and their patients and focused its efforts on persuading members of the government and the Chief Public Health Officer to use emergency powers to suspend aspects of abortion law to enable better and safer access to abortion services, specifically medical abortion via telehealth. This article offers an account of saaac’s 2020 campaign and asks why the needs of abortion patients and their healthcare providers were sidelined at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown in SA in early 2020.

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“…Travel and system navigation issues (Jerman et al, 2017); financial constraints (Singh et al, 2018); and lack of knowledge of legal restrictions (Coast & Murray, 2016; Gelaye et al, 2014); as well as confidentiality concerns and fear of judgment (Rehnström Loi et al, 2015; Warenius et al, 2006) complicate youth’s ability to receive safe abortion services and the impact of these barriers increase when encountered simultaneously (Jerman et al, 2017). These challenges assume special importance among youth as they may face compounding perceived or experienced stigma with providers, family, or community members related to the social norms of sex, pregnancy, and abortion (Levandowski et al, 2012; Millar, 2020; Nyblade et al, 2017; Woog et al, 2015). Further, adolescents are less willing to disclose abortion decisions to others, thus limiting opportunities for social support (Coleman-Minahan et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the Abortion Experiences of Young People to Inform Quality Care in Argentina, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Nigeria

et al. 2021

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Young people face social and structural barriers when accessing abortions. High-quality, sexual and reproductive healthcare is needed; however, literature on youth-informed abortion services is limited. This study assesses accounts of youth who obtained an abortion in Argentina, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Nigeria and provides recommendations to improve person-centered aspects of abortion quality. We analyzed 48 semi-structured interviews with clients recruited from clinics, safe abortion hotlines, and patent and proprietary medicine vendors. We coded transcripts and conducted a thematic analysis. The mean age was 21 years (range 16–24), and the majority had a first trimester, medication abortion. Prominent themes included access to information; privacy; stigma associated with age or marital status; the decision-making process; and comfort and rapport with providers. Youth-centered abortion care should anticipate the distinct needs of younger clients. Supportive providers have an important role in offering a non-judgmental service that makes young clients feel comfortable and prepared.

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Abortion stigma as a social process

Cited by 37 publications

References 44 publications

Exploring Experiences Responding to the Individual Level Abortion Stigma Scale: Methodological Considerations From In-depth Interviews

Exploring Experiences Responding to the Individual Level Abortion Stigma Scale: Methodological Considerations From In-depth Interviews

When More is Less: Emergency Powers, COVID-19 and Abortion in South Australia, 2020

Understanding the Abortion Experiences of Young People to Inform Quality Care in Argentina, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Nigeria

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