It has been over a year since the Supreme Court issued its decision in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The Dobbs decision overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade opinion and determined that the U.S. Constitution does not confer a right to abortion and returned the authority to regulate abortion to individual states. Currently, 15 states have laws that prevent access to abortion and 11 other states impose a gestational limit on abortion care. (Abortion Policy Tracker, 2023) Due to the patchwork of state laws and local ordinances that cover abortions, individuals with reproductive healthcare needs may encounter difficulties when searching for the best care or they may face barriers in accessing information about abortion. These barriers impact an individual’s overall health and can feed into our larger understanding and acceptance of abortion, reproductive health and reproductive justice.
Researchers created the term ‘abortion stigma’ to explain how the silence and wariness around discussing abortion impacts individuals, healthcare providers, activists and others. Barbara Alvarez writes “When people can’t access credible health information, they can’t make the best decisions for their mental and physical wellbeing. That’s why the World Health Organization (WHO) includes information access as one of its three cornerstones for comprehensive abortion care.” (Alvarez, 2022, para. 1) Dismantling ‘abortion stigma’ is not only a healthcare concern, but also an information access concern that healthcare and information professionals should address.
Kumar, Hessini & Mitchell define abortion stigma “as a negative attribute ascribed to women who seek to terminate pregnancy that makes them, internally or externally, as inferior to ideals of womanhood.” (Kumar, Hessini & Mitchell, 2009, pg. 628) The authors also note that abortion stigma “is a social phenomenon that is constructed and reproduced locally through various pathways.” (Kumar, Hessini & Mitchell, 2009, pg. 628) Norris et al. expands this definition so that it includes others who are impacted by this form of stigma. “Secrecy and disclosure of abortion often pertain to women who have had abortions, but may also apply to other groups–including abortion providers, partners of women who have had abortions, and others–who must also manage information about their relationship to abortion.” (Norris et al., 2011, pg. S50)
There are layers to abortion stigma and how it appears in people’s lives. For example, Norris et al. note that “Legal restrictions (e.g., parental consent requirements, gestational limits, waiting periods, and mandated ultrasound viewing) in the United States make it more difficult for women to obtain abortions and reinforce the notion that abortion is morally wrong.” (Norris et al., 2011, pg. S51) Abortion stigma may prevent healthcare professionals from pursuing coursework or a career in abortion care or this stigma may have a negative impact on the health of the provider. “Physicians who are trained to but do not provide abortions describe explicit and subtle practice restrictions and fear of repercussions from colleagues.” (Norris et al., 2011, pg. S51) Information specialists, such as librarians and other library professionals, may also hesitate to include information about abortion in their institutions’ collection because the inclusion of these resources may be challenged. Or, they may be unaware of the need for abortion resources as abortion stigma and library anxiety compounds and prevents patrons from seeking assistance from librarians or other staff members. “I received feedback from librarians that described the post-Dobbs landscape: they replied that patrons may have “fear and uncertainty of how to protect [themselves] if [they] are seeking abortions services.”” (Alvarez, 2023, para. 3)
Without reliable access to accurate information, people cannot make informed decisions about their health. This information is also important because it challenges the negative connotations associated with abortion or other stigmatized procedures. Norris et al. proposed that normalizing abortion as a solution to dismantling this stigma: “We should engage popular media, including popular entertainment, in the effort to remind people that abortion is common and usual.” (Norris et al., 2011, pg. S53) One way of doing this is by eliminating restrictions in information access and affirming the basic right to information and intellectual freedom. “...although there are many ways to approach intellectual freedom in libraries, there is often a common theme of human dignity that appears either explicitly or between-the-lines…all of these perspectives rely on the autonomy of each patron and their ability to exercise that autonomy.” (Childs, 2017, pg. 65)
If you wish to participate in the dismantling of abortion stigma, organizations such as the Guttmacher Institute, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, KFF provide resources on abortion, current legislation and other key pieces of information. These organizations will equip you with information to navigate conversations on abortion and reproductive justice.
Additionally, if you are interested in learning more about intellectual freedom and would like to assist library professionals with building inclusive collections, the American Library Association (ALA) has dedicated resources available. Their Intellectual Freedom: Issues and Resources page is an excellent starting point. Or, you can learn how to support library workers as they work to ensure intellectual freedom within their institutions by visiting the ALA’s Fight Censorship page.
Finally, Himmelfarb Library has materials on reproductive health and reproductive justice. For assistance answering specific questions or finding resources, use our Ask a Librarian service to speak with a reference specialist who can connect you with resources.
Dismantling abortion stigma requires a collaboration between healthcare and information professionals. If people are required to make decisions about their reproductive health, they must have access to information without undue restrictions. By working together to address this stigma, healthcare and information professionals can empower people to make informed decisions.
References:
- Abortion Policy Tracker. (2023). KFF. Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/abortion-policy-tracker/?activeTab=map¤tTimeframe=0&selectedDistributions=status-of-abortion&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D
- Alvarez, B. (2023, May 17). Stigma in the Stacks? Providing Abortion Information. ALAstore. Retrieved from https://www.alastore.ala.org/alvarezblog
- Alvarez, B. (2022, November 22). Libraries: Where abortion access and book bans collide. The Progressive Magazine. Retrieved from https://progressive.org/latest/libraries-abortion-book-bans-collide-alvarez-281122/
- Childs, L. (2017). To Uphold and Resist: Protecting Intellectual Freedom through Progressive Librarianship. The Serials Librarian, 73(1), 58–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/0361526X.2016.1270248
- Kumar, A., Hessini, L., & Mitchell, E. M. H. (2009). Conceptualising abortion stigma. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 11(6), 625–639. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691050902842741
- Norris, A., Bessett, D., Steinberg, J. R., Kavanaugh, M. L., De Zordo, S., & Becker, D. (2011). Abortion Stigma: A Reconceptualization of Constituents, Causes, and Consequences. Women’s Health Issues, 21(3), S49–S54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2011.02.010
