Abortion vs.
Abortion Stigma
Abortion
A common and safe medical procedure (Jones et al., 2019). There is no evidence that an abortion procedure causes mental health problems (Major et al., 2008).
Abortion stigma
The stigma from having an abortion, and not the abortion itself, can have harmful consequences physically, mentally, and emotionally (Major et al., 2009).
The abortion itself is not the problem. The stigma is the poison. The stigma causes the suffering.
Yet, abortion stigma can have negative mental health outcomes (Major et al., 2009).
Abortion stigma does not only affect the individual who had an abortion, but their partners, support systems, and even individuals who have thought about having an abortion but didn’t get one (Kumar et al., 2019)(Cowan, 2017). Abortion stigma is pervasive (Kumar et al., 2009).
1
in
4
US women* will have an abortion in their lifetime.
(Jones & Jerman, 2017)
This data shows that abortion is not uncommon. And this only captures the reported data. But there are abortions happening that we may not know about (Jones et al., 2019).
*Most abortion research and reproductive healthcare has focused on heterosexual cisgender women. The transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive population who are intersex, or were assigned female at birth, have abortions, experience pregnancies, and need as comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare (Moseson et al., 2020). Additionally, cisgender sexual minority women (non-heterosexual women) are often overlooked in abortion research (Moseson et al., 2020).
We must honor and respect:
1
There are multiple diverse abortion experiences and stories that individuals encounter.
3
Abortion stigma is deeply entrenched and rooted in gender and racial inequity, oppression, and toxic patriarchy (Ipas, 2018).
2
Not every individual who has an abortion will struggle with abortion stigma (Kumar, 2013).
4
People who are not heterosexual or cisgender have abortions and may experience abortion stigma (Moseson et al., 2020).
