All Pregnancies End

President Joseph Biden is tasked with appointing his first U.S. Supreme Court Justice following the announcement  of Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement. Speculations are soaring about who will take the seat. But many of us just want to know what this means for reproductive justice.

Last May, the governor of Texas signed one of the most innovative and controversial bills in recent history, the Texas Heartbeat Act. The law essentially blocks abortions; it encourages the invasion of privacy by allowing a citizen to sue anyone involved in assisting a pregnant person obtain an abortion beyond six weeks of gestation.

The bill has been tossed from court to court but remains enacted. Pregnant people, those who accompany them to medical appointments, drivers, and clinicians can be all brought to court, sued by strangers. Twenty-one states are prepared to follow the Lone Star State’s lead and restrict or ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

But what does that mean for the nearly 50% of pregnancies that are unintended, unwanted or mistimed? And what does restricting and criminalizing reproductive options mean for the already elevated  risk of suicidal thoughts and self-harm among pregnant and postpartum people?

If all lives matter, then all reproductive experiences should be supported regardless of how they end. Because the consequences of isolation and stigma after any reproductive experience can be too painful to bear alone.

If all lives matter, then all reproductive experiences should be supported regardless of how they end. Because the consequences of isolation and stigma after any reproductive experience can be too painful to bear alone.

A team led by Dr. Anna Altshuler evaluated the meaning people attribute to being accompanied by friends and family during birth and abortion. The researchers explain that pregnant people appreciate having loved ones by their side during childbirth, but people choosing to terminate their pregnancy are often deserted without the opportunity to be accompanied.

Policies that restrict companions during abortions are intended to protect the privacy and safety of the patient. However, those policies reinforce abortion stigma by forcing the patient to endure such a salient, and potentially frightening, reproductive experience alone. That stigma and isolation associated with abortion leads to high rates of stress, anxiety and depression.

Childbirth and abortion are two reproductive experiences that can permanently alter the composition of a family. Both reproductive experiences place the pregnant person in an intensely vulnerable state, physically and emotionally. Whether a pregnancy ends in childbirth, miscarriage or termination, support is essential for a family’s well-being and healing.

Analysis of the birth and abortion narratives reveals three essential themes. First, being accompanied by a loved one provides the birthing person with a sense of security. Second, the presence of intimate partners during these reproductive experiences may signify shared responsibility for the pregnancy and shield the birthing person from shame. The third theme exposes one potential challenge of being accompanied during birth and abortion. Birthing people may feel burdened with managing the emotions and reactions of those who accompany them. However, most pregnant people appreciate the option to be accompanied and supported by a loved one just like they would in any other medical context.

All pregnancies end. They may end in birth, miscarriage, or induced abortion, but each case evokes emotion, and each deserves acknowledgement and support.

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