“For Some Reason, She Just Wasn’t Able to Have an Abortion”: Social Attitudes, Reproductive Autonomy, and the Taboo of Regret.
Liberal abortion laws are crucial to the freedom of reproductive decision-making. However, even in countries like Iceland, which have high levels of gender equality and liberal abortion policies, women often feel constrained by socio-political rhetoric and traditional attitudes about motherhood. Thi...
| Published in: | Sex Roles Vol. 91; no. 4; pp. 1 - 16 |
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| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Article |
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Springer Nature
Apr2025
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=184537031&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 184537031 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 03600025 SXR jtl: Sex Roles issn: 03600025 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Apr2025 vid: 91 iid: 4 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature artinfo: ui: 184537031 10.1007/s11199-025-01583-5 ppf: 1 ppct: 15 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 719KB tig: atl: “For Some Reason, She Just Wasn’t Able to Have an Abortion”: Social Attitudes, Reproductive Autonomy, and the Taboo of Regret. aug: au: Johnson, Margaret Anne Bloomer, Fiona Pétursdóttir, Gyða Margrét affil: https://ror.org/01db6h964 Faculty of Political Science, Gender Studies, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland https://ror.org/01yp9g959 Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Ulster University, Newtownabbey, UK keyword: Abortion laws Childfree choice Pregnancy decision-making Pronatalism Regretting motherhood Reproductive justice Studies in Human Society Sociology Abortion laws Childfree choice Pregnancy decision-making Pronatalism Regretting motherhood Reproductive justice Studies in Human Society Sociology ab: Liberal abortion laws are crucial to the freedom of reproductive decision-making. However, even in countries like Iceland, which have high levels of gender equality and liberal abortion policies, women often feel constrained by socio-political rhetoric and traditional attitudes about motherhood. This paper examines the association between reproductive choice and potential regret in motherhood. Through in-depth interviews with 35 individuals in Iceland who can bear children, we investigate the tension between the decision not to have an abortion and feelings of regret about motherhood. Using thematic analysis, we explore three main themes relating to abortion attitudes: legitimacy and morality, the weight of responsibility, and the social and personal constraints to reproductive autonomy. The participants’ personal narratives reveal how socio-political discourses and attitudes surrounding abortion complicate the process of reproductive decision-making. The results suggest that the complexity arises when women struggle with the decision to end a pregnancy, feeling they have no real choice without a legitimate justification for having an abortion. These experiences can serve to minimize the negative discourse and social stigmas that are commonly associated with abortion in the public discourse. The findings can assist clinical, medical, and social welfare professionals by fostering a deeper understanding of the importance of reproductive autonomy and support in reproductive decision-making processes. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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