The difficult process of autonomous choice:using I-poems to understand experiences of abortion-seekers in The Netherlands

While key barriers to abortion care accessibility have been established, little is known about the experiences of people having abortions in the Netherlands. Stories of individual abortion-seekers can help counteract stereotyping, diminish abortion stigma, and improve accessibility. This study’s research question is: What experiences do abortion-seekers in the Netherlands have with abortion care and what new insights can the I-poem method of analysis provide? This qualitative feminist study used transcripts of semi-structured, in-depth interviews with abortion-seekers from previous research to... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Holten, Lianne
van der Wolf, Rosalie
van der Pijl, Marit S. G.
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2023
Reihe/Periodikum: Holten , L , van der Wolf , R & van der Pijl , M S G 2023 , ' The difficult process of autonomous choice : using I-poems to understand experiences of abortion-seekers in The Netherlands ' , Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters , vol. 31 , no. 1 , 2215963 . https://doi.org/10.1080/26410397.2023.2215963
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-29215152
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://research.vumc.nl/en/publications/0e637b85-ac58-457f-a925-717c0a6cc293

While key barriers to abortion care accessibility have been established, little is known about the experiences of people having abortions in the Netherlands. Stories of individual abortion-seekers can help counteract stereotyping, diminish abortion stigma, and improve accessibility. This study’s research question is: What experiences do abortion-seekers in the Netherlands have with abortion care and what new insights can the I-poem method of analysis provide? This qualitative feminist study used transcripts of semi-structured, in-depth interviews with abortion-seekers from previous research to create I-poems. Using a grounded theory method, the I-poems were coded deductively to validate previous findings, and inductively to generate new insights. The I-poems revealed that although abortion-seekers felt autonomous, their decision-making was complicated by doubt concerning their partner’s views and/or suitability as a parent, feelings of shame, and a lack of support. The abortion-seekers were often slowed by obstacles in policy and care; waiting caused feelings of fear and panic and routine pre-abortion ultrasounds led to anxiety. They often did not know what to expect from their body or the abortion procedure. I-poems show how autonomous choice in abortion care is socially constructed rather than purely individual. Abortion providers must pay special attention to external factors complicating the decision-making process such as partner discordance (even in stable relationships) and anxiety due to waiting times and routine pre-abortion ultrasound. Future action on normalisation of information provided on all aspects of choosing an abortion is necessary to realise informed choice and reduction of abortion stigma. Plain language summary Abortion is a medical procedure that ends a pregnancy. In some countries, people can easily get an abortion. In others, it is illegal or difficult to access. In the Netherlands, abortion is accessible and legal before 24 weeks of pregnancy and can be performed upon request of the ...