Challenging abortion stigma: framing abortion in Ireland and Poland

Abstract

Abortion stigma, while observable as a global phenomenon, is constructed locally through various pathways and institutions, and at the intersection of transnational and local discourses. Stigmatisation of abortion has been challenged in varied ways by pro-choice adherents. This article investigates strategies for identifying and opposing stigmatisation of abortion in Ireland and Poland, focusing on campaigns aimed in one context, at repealing a near total prohibition of abortion, and in another, on resisting further restrictions concerning reproductive rights. We examine how mobilisation on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in both contexts worked to address stigma and discrimination in SRH, drawing on the concept of framing and showing similarities between these two national contexts. Our analysis explains how the logic of inclusion and exclusion works in efforts at destigmatising abortion.

Street protests in times of COVID-19: adjusting tactics and marching ‘as usual’

“…The All-Poland Women's Strike movement quickly managed to mobilize the opponents of the anti-abortion law; however, the situation concerning the choice of protest tactics was particularly challenging. The National Women's Strike in the 2016 and 2017 protests had already influenced the policy of the Conservative Government, as a result of the mass street demonstrations -the so-called 'Black protest' (Cullen & Korolczuk, 2019). Whilst the opponents of the project could not demonstrate in the streets in April 2020, the protest took place using mixed and hybrid methods.…”

‘Our Darkest Hour’: Women and Structural Violence under Ireland’s 8th Amendment

“…Women and girls who were victims of rape and child abuse dealt with the additional burdens of shame and stigma when attempting to make choices about their unwanted or nonviable pregnancies; additionally, they often lacked legal and medical support and information about their reproductive options (Cullen, 2019;Erdman, 2019;Goodwin et al, 2000;Pallitto et al, 2013). The effects of the 8th Amendment meant that women and girls were left unaware of their options or struggled to access them under the weight of an unsupportive system and cultural norms that trivialised their suffering.…”

Think Outside My Box: Staging Respectability and Responsibility in Ireland’s Repeal the 8th Referendum

“…As a counterexample to abortion 'on demand', the Yes campaign repeatedly raised the 'good' abortion as an act only allowable due to tragic circumstances. Cullen and Korolczuk's (2019) cross-cultural study of the referendum demonstrates this deliberate rhetorical strategy operating to invoke tragedy and de-emphasise radical or intersectional frameworks in order to destigmatise abortion, and Carnegie and Roth's (2019) analysis similarly notes the campaign's focus on 'hard cases'. This evident anxiety concerning which women feel welcome and supported by established political organisations to speak out regarding their embodied experiences in public space is telling of the deep pressure that remains inscribed on those public spaces.…”