The “abortion imaginary”: Shared perceptions and personal representations among everyday Americans
Tricia C. Bruce,
Kendra Hutchens,
Sarah K. Cowan
Abstract:Drawing upon 217 in-depth interviews and the concept of the “social imaginary,” we introduce the “abortion imaginary”—a set of shared understandings regarding abortion and abortion patients. We identify four interrelated facets of the U.S. abortion imaginary pertaining to who gets an abortion and why: maternal inevitability, economic decision-making, relationship precarity, and emotional fragility. We then show how shared perceptions of abortion patients diverge into polarized opinions, revealing how those who… Show more
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