“I felt like I was a bad person… which I’m not”: Stigmatization in crisis pregnancy centers

Abstract

Stigma is present throughout everyday interactions but has particular salience for people seeking abortion care. Using Goffman’s conceptualization of stigma as a marker and enforcer of social ostracization, we expand on existing understandings of abortion stigma and its management. We draw on interviews with 12 clients and 10 staff members of crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) in Ohio to demonstrate how stigmatization around abortion begins before an abortion occurs. We find evidence of enacted and anticipated stigmatization and document how women who are considering an abortion mitigate stigmatization through impression management and other responsive mechanisms. This project expands on existing literature by articulating the broad reality of abortion stigma and shows the concrete ways anticipated and experienced stigmatization can change an individual’s behavior in a health care setting.

Keywords

• Crisis pregnancy centers
• Stigma
• Abortion stigma
• Impression management