“It makes it more real”: Examining ambiguous fetal meanings in abortion care

Becker, A.; Hann, Lena

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113736

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Providers also may choose to avoid disclosing their work to avoid “danger talk ,” e.g. sharing difficult experiences of their work which may further stigmatize or limit access to abortion care [ 25 , 60 , 94 , 99 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Providers’ experiences with abortion care: A scoping review

Dempsey,

Callaghan,

Higgins

2024

PLoS ONE

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Background Induced abortion is one of the most common gynecological procedures in the world, with as many as three in every ten pregnancies ending in abortion. It, however, remains controversial. The objective of this scoping review was to explore and map existing literature on the experiences of those who provide abortion care. Methods and findings This exploratory review followed the Levac et al. guidelines and was reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR checklist. CINAHL, Cochrane, EMBASE, PsycInfo, PubMed, and Web of Science were used to identify peer-reviewed, original research articles published on providers’ experience of abortion. We identified 106 relevant studies, which include a total sample of 4,250 providers from 28 countries and six continents. Most of the studies were qualitative (n = 83), though quantitative (n = 15) and mixed methods (n = 8) studies were also included. We identified two overarching themes: (1) Providers’ experiences with abortion stigma and (2) Providers’ reflections on their abortion work. Our findings suggest that providers from around the world experience challenges within society and their communities and workplaces which reinforce the stigmatization and marginalization of abortion and pose questions about the morality of this work. Most, however, are proud of their work, believe abortion care to be socially important and necessary, and remain committed to the provision of care. Conclusions The findings of this review provide a comprehensive overview on the known experiences of providing abortion care. It is a key point of reference for international providers, researchers, and advocates to further this area of research or discussion in their own territories. The findings of this review will inform future work on how to support providers against stigmatization and will offer providers the chance to reflect on their own experiences.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Providers’ experiences with abortion care: A scoping review

Dempsey,

Callaghan,

Higgins

2024

PLoS ONE

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“…77,78 Limited work has considered abortion patients' experiences of interacting with the aborted fetal body, for example finding that viewing the products of conception can make the abortion feel more real for patients. 79 The rise in the popularity of medication abortion, which requires users to individually deal with the aborted fetal body, presents new opportunities to think about the pregnant body, the reproducing body, the aborting body, and the aborted fetal body. With the case of abortion, the multiplicity of bodies, their integration and separation, and emerging state interest in the disposition of aborted fetal bodies (but not other bodies) call for sociologists to increase engagement with theories of necropolitics.…”

Section: Abortion the Body And Embodimentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Antiabortion activists have controlled the management and meaning of this body, forwarding legislation requiring, for example, particular disposition of fetal remains and reflecting an expansion of the necropolitics of reproduction 77,78 . Limited work has considered abortion patients' experiences of interacting with the aborted fetal body, for example finding that viewing the products of conception can make the abortion feel more real for patients 79 . The rise in the popularity of medication abortion, which requires users to individually deal with the aborted fetal body, presents new opportunities to think about the pregnant body, the reproducing body, the aborting body, and the aborted fetal body.…”

Section: Abortion the Body And Embodimentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abortion as a sociological case

Kimport,

Weitz

2024

Sociological Forum

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For over a century, abortion has been politically and socially contested, affecting people's lives through personal experience and/or public discourse. In the United States (US), abortion is sometimes exceptional—treated differently from other procedures, professions, and political issues—and sometimes an exemplar—an accessible example of a commonly occurring social, political, or personal phenomenon. It is, in other words, an excellent sociological case study. Yet the sociological literature on abortion is relatively thin. In this essay, we review research on abortion and opportunities for future sociological work in eight areas: gender; race; the body and embodiment; political economy; organizations, occupations, and work; medical sociology; law and society; and social movements. Sociologists have much to contribute to characterizing and understanding abortion, particularly following the 2022 US Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion. The discipline also has much to learn from studying abortion as a case. With its multifaceted social and political status and intersections with key areas of sociological interest, abortion offers a generative case for advancing sociological concepts, subfields, and constructs. While not exhaustive, our review aims to spark interest and inquiry, showcasing how a topic that spurs strong opinions can also catalyze sociological insights.

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“…Biomedical technology such as ultrasound has been found to produce such foetal beings as 'more' real (Mitchell 2001, Schmied and Lupton 2001, Rothman 1993). Viewing of material pregnancy remains is also linked to confirmation of the reality of what has been aborted in abortion care in the USA (Becker and Hann 2021) and in European contexts (Andersson, Christensson andGemzell-Danielsson 2014, Heinsen 2022).…”

Section: 'The Real Little Fleshy Person': the Experience Of Foetal Ma...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Invisible Labours

Middlemiss

2024

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Tracing women’s experiences of miscarriage and termination for foetal anomaly in the second trimester, before legal viability, shows how such events are positioned as less ‘real’ or significant when the foetal being does not, or will not, survive. Invisible Labours describes the reproductive politics of this category of pregnancy loss in England. It shows how second trimester pregnancy loss produces specific medical and social experiences, revealing an underlying teleological ontology of pregnancy. Some women then understand their pregnancy through kinship with the unborn baby.

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“It makes it more real”: Examining ambiguous fetal meanings in abortion care

Cited by 12 publications

References 30 publications

Providers’ experiences with abortion care: A scoping review

Providers’ experiences with abortion care: A scoping review

Abortion as a sociological case

Invisible Labours

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