Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Abortion Decisions As Humanizing Acts: The Application Of Ambivalent Sexism And Objectification To Women-Centered Anti-Abortion Rhetoric, Rachel L. Dyer, Olivia R. Checkalski, Sarah Gervais

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Women-centered anti-abortion rhetoric, grounded in ostensibly positive beliefs that pregnant people are precious objects who must be protected from having abortions, has proliferated anti-abortion activism and legislation. However, abortion stigma, marked by negative perceptions of people who terminate pregnancies, is the most widely used theoretical tool for understanding the social and psychological implications of abortion. In this article, we first integrate these two seemingly contradictory perspectives on abortion through the lens of ambivalent sexism theory. We then argue that ambivalent sexism paves the way for objectifying perceptions and treatment of pregnant people; specifically, our typology of reproductive objectification provides a …

Freedom To Choose: The Economic Impact Of Reduced Abortion Access On Women’S Labor Market Outcomes, Zaara A. Masud

Senior Projects Spring 2023

This project aims to look at the economic impact of a reduction in abortion access on women's labor market outcomes. To do this, I use Sen and Nussbaum's capabilities approach to analyze the different capabilities that would be impacted and find that women's educational attainment, income, and labor force participation rates are all lower without access to abortion.

Out Of Bounds?: Abortion, Choice Of Law, And A Modest Role For Congress, Susan Frelich Appleton

Scholarship@WashULaw

This invited contribution to a symposium on the multiple intersections of family law and constitutional law grapples with the emerging problems of jurisdictional competition and choice of law in interstate abortion situations in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization—as abortion-hostile states seek to impose restrictions beyond their borders and welcoming states seek to become havens for abortion patients, regardless of their domicile. Grounded in a conflict-of-laws perspective, the essay lays out the interstate abortion chaos invited by Dobbs and the threat to our federal system that it presents, given Congress’s failure to codify a national right to …

Liberty And Its Legacy An Analysis Of Freedom And Liberty In American Political Rhetoric, Ryan S. Kovarovics

Honors Projects

The concept of freedom has always been central to the American identity, but its meaning has never been agreed on by all and has long been the subject of debate. An abridged explanation of the evolution of liberty’s meaning in political thought and American history is presented in the first chapter of this project. It demonstrates the long-standing importance of individual freedom in America and highlights some historical moments when liberty has come into conflict with other societal values. When used in American political rhetoric today, “freedom” and “liberty” typically take on a “negative” meaning that is focused mostly on …

“It Is Her Decision, Not Mine” The Problem Of Choice In Abortion Consultation Services In Norway, Franceline Anggia

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

Since 1978, women have been granted legal rights to self-determined abortion, from which the idea of women’s right to choose achieves its victory in the current Norwegian abortion law. Behind this notion of choice lies an assumption that perceives women as subjects of choice who should personally decide whether or not having an abortion would be the proper way to overcome difficult decisions on their pregnancies. Women’s right to choose is celebrated as an ideal concept in consultation services for women who face difficult decisions on whether or not to have an abortion. Counselors and health workers I interviewed used …

Abortion Pill Reversal And The Inappropriate Censorship Of Google Advertisements, Chloe S. Edwards

Pepperdine Policy Review

Abortion has been a contentious policy issue for nearly as long as United States has existed. From its legalization under the U.S. Constitution’s right to privacy in the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade to the overturn of the decision this year in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Healthcare Organization, abortion policy has been on a back and forth swing for generations. The addition of medically advanced forms of abortion, including medical abortions administered via pills, has added another dimension to this already complicated matter. Recent censorship of abortion pill reversal ads by the internet site Google has shown the …

Biopolitics And Belief: The Impacts Of Religious Attitudes On Reproductive Rights In The U.S., Katlyn Barbaccia

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade (1973)—a groundbreaking case that legalized the right to have an abortion—which signified a deep rift in the nation between the opinions of its lawmakers and citizens in the wake of a widening partisan gap. Biopower, according to Foucault, can be defined as the governing of bodies wherein citizens are stripped of bodily autonomy and are closely regulated by the nation-state. Manifested in political consequences, this can be defined as biopolitics, or when the nation-state’s ideas are made into a reality in the political realm. …

A Public Administration Study Of Ohio's Declining Abortion Rate, Brandel Denise Boyd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

OBJECTIVES: More than 8,000 fewer abortions were reported to the Ohio Department of Health in 2019 than in 2009. And yet, little research has been conducted to indicate what factors most influence this drop. Due to these shortcomings within the literature on abortion, the researcher used a mixed methods approach to discover answers to the following two questions: Have abortion rates changed in Ohio from 2009-2019, if so, how? As well as, what major factors have influenced the decline in the number of abortions within the state of Ohio from 2009 to 2019? STUDY DESIGN: The researcher utilized a mixed …

College Students’ Perceptions Of The Efficacy Of Different Strategies To Reduce The Rate Of Abortions, Sophia B. Doros

Honors College Theses

This study examines college students’ perceptions of different strategies and the efficacy of those strategies to reduce the rates of abortions. Factors such as comprehensive, medically accurate sex education, widespread accessibility and affordability of contraception, and affordable and accessible pre-natal care are all factors that the literature has established lower the rates of abortions. Factors such as waiting periods of 24 hours or more to perform a surgical abortion, restricting state funding for abortions, and legal bans of abortions altogether are factors that do not reduce the rates of abortions (Medoff, 2015); they may even be counterproductive to their original …

The Effects Of Social Globalization On Access To Abortion, Dallas M. Hardee

Student Publications

What effect does social globalization have on access to legal abortion? I contend that social globalization positively influences access to legal abortion. This is because mechanisms of social globalization such as gender parity, internet access, freedom of the press, and civil liberties all have a significant effect on access to abortion. Therefore, as countries become more socially globalized, access to legal abortion will increase. Using cross-national time-series data for the period 1997-2011, I test the relationship between social globalization and access to legal abortion. I find support for the hypothesized relationship. In light of the state of abortion rights around …

Amjambo Africa! (August 2022), Kathreen Harrison

Amjambo Africa!

In this Issue

Amjambo Arts ......................2/3

Moonglade .............................4/5

Education .............................6-10

Free Community College

In 7 languages

Immigration fraud .................12

In 7 languages

Market Basket ...................14/15

Tips & Info ..............................16

All about the Workforce ........18

Community Happenings .20/21

Girls & women in Africa........22

Central America news ...........24

Health&Wellness. ..............26-27

In 7 languages

Service organization columns 32

Financial literacy ....................33

New Voices feature ...........34/35

Nonprofit updates .............36/37

Attitudes Of Major Religious Organizations In Ukraine To Abortion And Reproductive Medicine, Kateryna Karpenko, Alla Guzhva

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The attitude of the largest religions of Ukraine to reproductive medicine is determined by a variety of practical approaches, which are still in process of change between the rather strict negative official position of major religious organizations of Ukraine, on the one hand, and a rather liberal approach to reproductive medicine in secular legislation of Ukraine. The harsh negative official position of the main religious organizations of Ukraine to surrogacy and abortions is presented in a joint document adopted by the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations. While the diversity of practical approaches of these organizations is represented by …

Breaking The Cycle: An Analysis Of The Reduction Of Single Women In The Homeless Community, Luisa J. Lamagra

Honors Projects

An analysis of homelessness with particular attention to King County and a focus on single women. This paper aims to address gender disparities in housing prioritization and homeless reduction solutions while suggesting gender-conscious policies and programs. The current system of housing prioritization is aiming to be neutral; yet it falls to the side of white, cisgender, heterosexual men. Single women without children have specific needs that are not met because the absence of children in their lives makes them insignificant, which feeds into the cyclical nature of chronic homelessness. By analyzing the specific pathways that women take into homelessness, this …

Protecting A Woman’S Right To Abortion During A Public Health Crisis, San Juanita Gonzalez

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

As COVID-19 infected our nation, states were quick to issue executive orders restricting various aspects of daily life under the pretense of public safety. It was clear at the outset that certain civil liberties were going to be tested. Among them, the constitutional right to an abortion.

This comment explores Texas’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the limitations it imposed on abortion access. It will attempt to address the legitimacy of the “public health concerns” listed in executive orders issued throughout numerous states and will discuss the pertinent legal framework and judicial scrutiny to apply.

According to the Fifth …

Modern-Day Child Sacrifice: The Horrific Penance Demanded By The God Of Convenience, Gracelyn Hedrick

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

No abstract provided.

Abortion And Child Sexual Exploitation: Abortion As A Tool Of Traffickers And Abusers, Gabrielle Tornow

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

An examination of how child sexual abusers use abortion as a tool to exert control over their victims and cover up the evidence of their crimes

La Política Cultural Del Aborto: Las Percepciones Y El Manejo Del Aborto En Arica, Chile, Eva Strelitz-Block

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Chile has a long history of restricting access to legal abortion. Until 2017, when the government passed the law N° 21.030 decriminalizing abortion on three grounds, abortion was completely illegal. However, despite this movement towards decriminalization, legal abortion access is still very limited and highly restricted. In this criminalized, highly stigmatized environment, self-managed abortion has emerged as a way to transform the landscape of abortion. This qualitative, exploratory study seeks to explore perceptions of abortion and practices of abortion management both within and outside of the official healthcare system among women and people with the capacity to become pregnant and …

From Pacifism To Pipe Bombs: A History Of The Extremist Anti-Abortion Movement In The United States, Stella Masucci

Senior Theses

This paper traces the history of the extremist wing of the anti-abortion movement, both the violent and non-violent branches, from its origins in the 1970s. The movement began with local, leftwing Catholic groups conducting “sit-ins,” then turned into a massive crusade of fundamentalist conservatives under Randall Terry’s group Operation Rescue. I also examine the movement’s descent into violence in the 1980s and 1990s and the federal government’s response to this threat, namely the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act in 1994, and how it has shaped both the pacifist and violent branches of the movement in the years since. …

Ensuring Abortion Rights For Womxn*, Mary Dillon

2022 HCIR

Abortion is not just a women's issue, but a serious topic for all people who have a uterus. Whether they are trans, nonbinary, or intersex, the fight for abortion rights is also their fight. Giving them a voice is essential to the fight for abortion as not only is banning abortion blatantly anti-women but anti-trans. The misogynistic and homophobic bills across the country that have severely limited access to abortions need to be stopped. Additionally, to ensure Roe stays in place, The Women's Health Protection Act must be passed in order to save abortion nationwide.

Illegal Abortion: Truth Vs. Fiction, Andrew T. Looker Jr.

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

Numerous factual errors are made regarding the issue of abortion. These false claims are made in an attempt to scuttle efforts to restrict abortion. Some of the most frequent claims pertain to the effectiveness of pro-life laws themselves. One such claim is that thousands of women died from unsolicited abortions when the procedure was illegal, and that maternal deaths declined rapidly afterwards due to the legal availability of abortion. Another claim is that laws that either restrict or outlaw abortion are ineffective in reducing abortion rates. A comprehensive analysis of the best available data proves these assertions to be undeniably …

The False Dichotomy Of Sex And Religion In America, Kelsy Burke

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Religion and sexuality are polysemic categories. While conservative religion often fights against progressive sexual politics in contemporary America, this “usual story” is fractured and destabilized by people navigating the relationship between religion and sexuality as complex social creatures, not pundits or caricatures. Drawing from interdisciplinary scholarship, I examine salient issues of sexual politics—including abortion and reproductive rights, LGBT rights, and pornography—to show how religious actors have been on both sides of these debates. Because of this polysemic complexity, scholars of religion must not only tend to the dynamic interaction between religion and other categories, we must also recognize and study …

From Abortion Rights To Reproductive Justice: A Call To Action, Erica Goldblatt Hyatt, Judith L.M. Mccoyd, Mery Diaz

Publications and Research

As aggressive cultural and legislative attacks on abortion rights and access continue, we call upon social workers to pursue the liberatory aims of the reproductive justice (RJ) movement. We argue that the RJ framework, rooted in feminist theory, aligns with social work’s social justice ethos and goals, appropriately guiding advocacy and intervention. After outlining the central aims and tenets of the RJ movement, we consider policies that impair RJ and those that could promote RJ, focusing on enhancing body sovereignty, childbearing, and parenting. We conclude with concrete recommendations for how social workers can pursue RJ professionally and personally.

Still Awaiting Justice: An Analysis On The Impact Of Anti-Immigrant Sentiment On The Reproductive Autonomy Of Migrant Women, Annays Esperanza Yacaman

Senior Independent Study Theses

My research aims to explain the impact of anti-immigrant sentiment on the reproductive autonomy of migrant women. Legislators typically act as their constituents feel on a certain issue, so I aimed to explore how legislators responded with legislation when their constituents held higher levels of anti-immigrant sentiment, hypothesizing that this would lead to more legislation limiting the reproductive autonomy of migrant women. I explore topics of eugenics and how anti-immigrant sentiment has led to modern day eugenics.

My hypothesis did not manifest itself in the expected way, but the results do provide evidence for a causal link between legislation meant …

Anti-Abortion Crisis Pregnancy Centers In Central Florida, Isabel Adamus

Honors Program Theses

Anti-abortion pregnancy centers, also known as crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), are nonprofit organizations that target pregnant women and aim to dissuade them from considering abortion. In the U.S., CPCs are increasing in prevalence, accumulating government/state funding and support, and becoming more medicalized. Medicalization includes offering limited medical services, such as pregnancy testing, limited ultrasounds, and testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). CPCs are largely unlicensed and unregulated, frequently advertising in misleading ways and providing inaccurate health information. The goal of this research is to (1) understand how CPCs in Central Florida utilize rhetorical strategies to frame their services and health …

Pain That Only She Must Bear: On The Invisibility Of Women In Judicial Abortion Rhetoric, Francesca Laguardia

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The graphic and bodily facts of a legal question of rights are relevant to the courts, particularly in questions that directly implicate physical bodies and pain, such as right to die cases, or what level of search may be allowable and when. However, in the case of abortion, or more specifically the bodily ramifications of pregnancy and childbirth, this detail is conspicuously absent. This article, relying on a content analysis of over 220 legal opinions on abortion rights, documents this absence of rhetoric. Particularly in the context of other discussions of pain and physical health risks in these very same …

The New Abortion Battleground, David S. Cohen, Greer Donley, Rachel Rebouché

Articles

This Article examines the paradigm shift that is occurring now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. Returning abortion law to the states has spawned perplexing legal conflicts across state borders and between states and the federal government. This article emphasizes how these issues intersect with innovations in the delivery of abortion, which can now occur entirely online and transcend state boundaries. The interjurisdictional abortion wars are coming, and this Article is the first to provide the roadmap for the immediate aftermath of Roe’s reversal and what lies ahead.

Judges and scholars, and most recently the Supreme …

Embodied Feminism: An Ethnographic Study Of Abortion Access And Hopeful Praxis, Nicolette Tuttle

WWU Graduate School Collection

Reproductive justice is of critical concern in the United States, especially since the onslaught of abortion bans in 2019, this ethnographic study explores abortion access and activism through a feminist participatory action research (FPAR) approach during my internship at the Feminist Majority Foundation in Los Angeles, California and clinic escort volunteer work with L.A. For Choice. Embodied feminism, here, takes the shape of a qualitative study of abortion access as well as the praxis of scholar-activism. Themes of opposing biopolitical values among feminist and anti-choice activism, narratives of feminist activism, and creative expression and reflection inform this thesis with further …

Media Frames And Abortion Issue Polarization, Shianne Galuska

Master's Theses

The abortion issue is one of the most polarizing topics within the public and media sphere. How the media chooses to frame the abortion debate may influence public opinion and individual reactions. Specifically, articles that use incongruent abortion frames (pro-life/pro-abortion & anti-abortion/pro-choice) may be contributing to an ingroup versus outgroup mentality by highlighting who is the ingroup and who is the outgroup, thus generating moral disgust and polarization (characterized by anger, bias, and activism) amongst those with opposing views. This study sought to answer whether presenting individuals with an incongruent abortion frame increases anger, bias, and activism (polarization), as well …

The Hidden Child: Analyzing The Cyclical Nature Of Statelessness And Violations Of Reproductive Autonomy, Simone Lieban Levine, Kelsey J. Peden

The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development

Statelessness is a reproductive justice issue. When states explicitly or implicitly regulate or restrict reproduction, it results in children being born into statelessness. When there is a risk that a child will be born into statelessness, it both impacts the parents’ ability to parent with dignity and can have a chilling effect on the parents’ decision to have a child in the first place. In this way, statelessness results both in and from violations of reproductive autonomy. To combat statelessness, the international human rights community must use a reproductive justice lens to examine the ways that policies related to regulating …

The Conscience Of The Dollar: Are Religious Donors Sensitive To Moral Infractions?, Bradley Yam

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

Do religious donors give strategically or idealistically? The entanglement between the conservative Republican party and religious groups, particularly evangelical Christianity, on issues of abortion, sexual mores, and family values makes it difficult to analyze this question along voting lines. Regardless of how one votes, citizens and organizations can still punish their political leaders for moral infractions by voting with their wallets. This study aims to discern if there is a relationship between political scandals and religious donations.