College of Nursing, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora.
Department of Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder.
Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2020 Mar;52(1):15-22. doi: 10.1363/psrh.12132. Epub 2020 Mar 1.
Most states require adolescents younger than 18 to involve a parent prior to obtaining an abortion, yet little is known about adolescents' reasons for choosing abortion or the social support received by those who seek judicial bypass of parental consent for abortion.
In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 individuals aged 16-19 who sought judicial bypass in Texas between 2015 and 2016 to explore why they chose to get an abortion, who they involved in their decision and what their experiences of social support were. Data were analyzed thematically using stigma and social support theories.
Participants researched their pregnancy options and involved others in their decisions. They chose abortion because parenting would limit their futures, and they believed they could not provide a child with all of her or his needs. Anticipated stigma motivated participants to keep their decision private, although they desired emotional and material support. Not all male partners agreed with adolescents' decisions to seek an abortion, and agreement by some males did not guarantee emotional or material support; some young women described their partners' giving them the "freedom" to make the decision as avoiding responsibility. After a disclosure of their abortion decision, some participants experienced enacted stigma, including shame and emotional abuse.
Abortion stigma influences adolescents' disclosure of their abortion decisions and limits their social support. Fears of disclosing their pregnancies and abortion decisions are justified, and policymakers should consider how laws requiring parental notification may harm adolescents. Further research is needed on adolescents' experiences with abortion stigma.
大多数州都要求 18 岁以下的青少年在获得堕胎前征得父母同意，但对于青少年选择堕胎的原因，以及那些寻求司法豁免父母对堕胎同意的青少年所获得的社会支持，人们知之甚少。
2015 年至 2016 年期间，在德克萨斯州，对 20 名 16-19 岁寻求司法豁免的个人进行了深入访谈，以探讨他们选择堕胎的原因、他们与谁一起做出决定以及他们获得了哪些社会支持。研究采用污名化和社会支持理论进行主题分析。
参与者研究了他们的妊娠选择，并让他人参与他们的决策。他们选择堕胎是因为育儿会限制他们的未来，而且他们认为自己无法为孩子提供所有的需求。预期的污名促使参与者对他们的决定保密，尽管他们渴望情感和物质支持。并非所有的男性伴侣都同意青少年寻求堕胎的决定，而一些男性的同意并不能保证情感或物质支持；一些年轻女性描述她们的伴侣让她们“自由”做出决定，这是在逃避责任。在披露堕胎决定后，一些参与者经历了被实施的污名化，包括羞耻和情感虐待。
堕胎污名化影响青少年对堕胎决定的披露，并限制了他们的社会支持。披露怀孕和堕胎决定的担忧是合理的，政策制定者应该考虑要求父母通知的法律可能如何伤害青少年。需要进一步研究青少年堕胎污名化的经历。
