integration

It is deep, soggy, middle-of-the-day-thunderstorm, longing for an air-conditioned bus after waiting for five minute summer, miserable and weirdly full of possibility. I went to the Whitney and the Jewish Museum and Industry City (where I found the painting in the photo). Sorority rush documentation has begun on TikTok, so I’m also thinking about how these girls learn to put on makeup and wear the right clothes and talk to boys and have the correct amount of enthusiasm for everything. It’s riveting. (If you are also consuming irresponsible amounts of RushTok, let’s discuss.)

This week: Something I read.

In April of this year, a study was published in Nature about abortion stigma in Turkey (where abortions are legal up until 10 weeks, unless there are health risks to the mother or fetus and it’s documented by a specialist physician’s report or committee decision), examining women’s attitudes about voluntary abortion (choosing to end a pregnancy based on a personal choice instead of because of a medical emergency). The study looks at the stigmatizing attitudes towards abortion, as well as the connection between spiritual well-being and abortion stigma.

According to another study, 70.8% of Turkish women stated being against voluntary abortion, listing reasons such as religion, “against human rights,” and that it’s unhealthy for mothers, since they experience psychological problems after abortion. (There are a lot of layers to this study, take a look at the abstract.)

Some notable findings/reflections:

• The focus when we’re discussing pregnancy and abortion is on the physical body, biological processes, and psychology. It’s almost never on spiritual well-being, a broader concept than religious beliefs. Spiritual well-being is an emphasis on purpose, meaning, and connection in life, and it’s been shown to be associated with better health outcomes.

• Women’s spiritual well-being is also an important part of understanding and confronting abortion stigma - it’s not just about having correct information about abortion, but about how one sees themselves in society in terms of their role in the social structure. What should a woman be? Have they themselves confronted that idea? How do they manage cognitive dissonance when to their lived reality clashes with their personal beliefs?

• Health care professionals can diffuse and prevent abortion stigma by supporting the psychological well-being of women, considering their social, cultural and spiritual needs when it comes to decision making during abortion and internalized stigma. Abortion care must be a holistic process.

This study, which you should read in its entirety, contains some aspects of the abortion stigma conversation that we’ve talked about before: People of faith do support abortion, and people of faith who don’t support abortion still have abortions. Not only does everyone deserve safe, accessible abortion care, but dismantling abortion stigma also requires a holistic approach - we don’t acquire these ideas from watching Fox News once. It’s also about how we grow up, who we listen to, what we already believe about the world, and how we see ourselves. All of these pieces live in us, they have build us, and we can take them apart.

Action item: How do you think your idea of your place in the world has impacted your thoughts about abortion? Consider your roles in your job, your family, your religious practice, your relationship. Are any of these roles at odds with your politics? How do you navigate those conflicts?

Next time: Hollywood and abortion.