Isolating Abortion Stigma from Women Who Have Had Abortions: A Look at Undergraduate Students at a Christian University

Abortion has been subject to stigma due to violating cultural ideals of womanhood, sexism, attribution of personhood to the fetus, legal restrictions, perception as a dirty procedure, the pro-life community, being underreported, and religious beliefs. In order to cope with stigma-induced distress, individuals often resort to secrecy. Stigmatized women concealing their abortion may suppress thoughts about the abortion, leading them to suffer from obsessive and intrusive thoughts that repeatedly reappear simply because they are unwanted. Because of this harmful cycle, it is imperative that individuals understand the distinction between stigma towards abortion and post-abortive women. The current study examines the ability of undergraduate students to separate abortion stigma from the stigma of women who have had an abortion