Timeline of Reproductive Rights

1960s

Introduction of female sterilization as a form of birth control (Beerthuizen, 2010)

1970s

The Roe v. Wade case occurred in 1973, when the United States Supreme Court declared the right to a woman's decision to have an abortion in some scenarios (Mendelsonm 1993)

1980s

Noonan published an article summarizing Christian values and the rights of the fetus based on it's genetic code. In the article he states the following:

"For Christians the commandment to love had received a special imprint in that the exemplar proposed of love was the love of the Lord for his disciples. In the light given by this example, self-sacrifice carried to the point of death seemed in the extreme situations not without meaning. In the less extreme cases, preference for one's own interests to the life of another seemed to express cruelty or selfishness irreconcilable with the demands of love" (Noonan, 1985)

1990s

Bill Clinton makes an effort to make abortion accessible and safe to woman, although chooses a slogan that has been critiqued: “an America where abortion is safe, legal and rare” (Weitx, p. 163). In the literature, academics have noted the use of the world "rare" in his slogan, suggesting that Clinton was concerned with sounding supportive of reproductive rights, but failed to fully understand why abortions may happen at a greater frequency.

2000s

Though abortion is legal, it remains something that many people are uncomfortable talking about. Winter suggests, "abortion is something we tend to be more comfortable discussing as an abstraction; the feelings it provokes are too complicated to face in all their particularities" (Winter, 2013).

Sterilization, in 2001, became the most widely used method of contraceptive in the United States. Increasing gender gap in contraceptive sterilization can be attributed to the relatively high rates of tubal sterilization can be attributed to the relatively high rates of tubal sterilization among single women. Black women are more likely to use tubal sterilization as a form of contraception. One hypothesis for this is that black women may have less access to other forms of contraceptives. For co-habiting couples, gender impacts decisions regarding sterilization. If the couple spates, men are more likely to re-marry, and they are more likely to marry younger, child-bearing women. On the other hand, women are less likely to remarry and more likely to parent children from the first marriage. (Godecker, Thomson, Bumpass, 2001)

2010 onward

When thinking about reproductive rights recently, one must turn their attention to the current healthcare reform and how that may impact women later on. As Kelly states, "With a new administration, the Supreme Court appears likely to become a battleground for these issues" (2017). For example, birth control methods under insurance, access to abortion, sex education that does not just include abstinence are all things that are not guaranteed (Kelly, 2017). The author also brings to attention that accidental pregnancies as well as options for contraception are disproportionately common in women who are low-income (2017).

Reproductive Rights in the Media

Abortion stigma is related to women who experience oppression based on age and income (Purcell, Hilton & McDaid). As mentioned above, issues of access do negatively effect this group of women more so than other groups. It is critical then, when thinking of health care problems, to consider how education and resources reach disadvantaged women. The authors also point out, "it is therefore essential to address the potential for stigmatisation to result in discrimination against already disadvantaged groups" (Purcell, Hilton & McDaid).

Latimer points out the usage of choosing to keep the baby in the unwanted pregnancy as a theme in modern media, referencing the films Juno and Knocked Up. Both of these films are extremely popular, and Latimer suggests that they are both subtly suggesting a pro-life attitude by ways of framing abortion as not an option for the women in the films.

Rohlinger, in a comprehensive review of abortion media states that "images of pro-life activists engaged in protest are more frequent than those of pro-choice activists in both print and electronic outlets" (p. 183, 2012). Rohlinger views this trend as people controlling media intentionally are seeking a more dramatic scene, as pro-life activities may "emphasize dissent and confrontation" (p. 184, 2012). Another way to view this trend, however, is simply because pro-life stance is more commonly pushed in large social outlets.

Reproductive Rights and Lived Experiences

Articles that show women's experience with abortion report that range from neutral, to happy, to feelings of guilt and shame (Blossom, 2017). The following are excerpts from the article.

Hannah states: "I don't know quite how it works in the US, but here in the UK, you need to be referred by your general practitioner to a clinic, where you then have to have an initial appointment, before going back for the abortion itself. That was more stressful than the abortion itself! The doctors definitely feel like the gatekeepers.”

Emily states: "I was also emotional for the second, but that had more to do with guilt; guilt from a second abortion, what that said about me and my ability to properly take precautions."

Anonymous states: "I didn't feel anything. It was a clump of cells. Looked nothing like a kid and, either way, I didn't want to ruin my life and a child's life."

Alicia states: " I have never felt guilty about choosing to have an abortion, it was the best choice for me at that time."

As seen above, there are many different aspects of abortion. Not one women has the same experience as another.

Works Cited

Beerthuizen, R. (2010). State-of-the-art of non-hormonal methods of contraception: V. female sterilisation. The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care, 15(2), 124-135. doi:10.3109/13625181003597037

Blossom, P. (2017). 9 Women Describe What It Really Feels Like To Have An Abortion. Retrieved November 10, 2017, from https://www.romper.com/p/9-women-describe-what-it-really-feels-like-to-have-abortion-32253

Godecker, A. L., Thomson, E., & Bumpass, L. L. (2001). Union status, marital history and female contraceptive sterilization in the united states. Family Planning Perspectives, 33(1), 35-41, 49. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/224552516?accountid=14656

Kelly, P. J. (2017). Reproductive rights and a new administration. Public Health Nursing, 34(1), 1-1. doi:10.1111/phn.12310

Latimer, H. (2009). Popular culture and reproductive politics: Juno, knocked up and the enduring legacy of the handmaid's tale. Feminist Theory, 10(2), 211-226. doi:10.1177/1464700109104925

Mendelson, W. (1993). Sex and the singular constitution: What remains of roe v. wade? PS: Political Science and Politics, 26(2), 206-208.

Noonan, J. T. (1985). An almost absolute value in history. The Human Life Review, 11(1-2), 125.

Purcell, C., Hilton, S., & McDaid, L. (2014). The stigmatisation of abortion: A qualitative analysis of print media in great britain in 2010. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 16(9), 1141-1155. doi:10.1080/13691058.2014.937463

Rohlinger, D. A., & Klein, J. (2012). Visual landscapes and the abortion issue. American Behavioral Scientist, 56(2), 172-188. doi:10.1177/0002764211419487

Weitz, T. A. (2010). Rethinking the mantra that abortion should be "safe, legal, and rare". Journal of Women's History, 22(3), 161-172,236. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/753816184?accountid=14656

Winter, M. Published Nov 10, 2013. (n.d.). My Abortion. Retrieved November 1, 2017, from http://nymag.com/news/features/abortion-stories-2013-11/