Examining women’s experiences with medication abortion: a critical inquiry of women’s online narratives post-Dobbs

Additionally co-authored by Stuart W. Grande, PhD, MPA

Abstract

Introduction

Changes in the legal landscape surrounding abortion in the United States post-Dobbs have led to an increased reliance on medication abortion. Many women turn to the internet to process and share their experiences with medication abortion.

Methods

Our critical inquiry examines the experiences of women who have had a medication abortion and chose to publicly share their experiences online, anonymously post-Dobbs.

Results

We found that all posts shared a similar structure, tone, and syntax regardless of platform. Most women described their medication abortion by using explicit details about their decisions and the process of the medication abortion. We identified three primary discourse types that characterize women’s online narratives: (1) abandonment, (2) delusion of choice, and (3) “good mothering.”

Discussion

Our findings demonstrate how choices to share medication abortion stories represented private acts of defiance during a public controversy in a public online space. Women’s intimate narratives showcase the complexity surrounding medication abortion, signaling women’s individual challenges coupled with their feelings of societal abandonment against the larger backdrop of double-edged political and cultural discourses about motherhood and medication abortion.