Normalising abortion: what role can health professionals play?
Karen J Maxwell1, Lesley Hoggart2, Fiona Bloomer3
1MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Health professionals can normalize abortion by framing it as routine sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH). Challenging negative narratives and presenting abortion as standard care helps reduce stigma for patients and providers.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Health
- Sociology of Health
- Medical Ethics
Background:
- Abortion remains a stigmatized gynecological procedure.
- Healthcare professionals are key to normalizing abortion.
- Reducing stigma requires challenging negative sociocultural narratives.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate how health professionals normalize abortion.
- Understand how to challenge negative abortion narratives.
- Explore the role of healthcare providers in destigmatizing abortion.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative secondary analysis of health professional accounts.
- Thematic analysis of 20 in-depth interviews.
- Study conducted within the Sexuality and Abortion Stigma Study (SASS).
Main Results:
- Professionals face resistance within sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH).
- Negative sociocultural narratives surrounding abortion are prevalent.
- Professionals enacted positivity and presented abortion as routine care.
Conclusions:
- Negative attitudes towards abortion persist within and outside healthcare.
- Health professionals can normalize abortion by framing it as routine SRH.
- Structural support is essential for embedding abortion normalization.
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