“They couldn’t talk to anybody because there’s so much stigma”: A qualitative study exploring Indigenous Peoples’ experience of abortion-related stigma in Canada

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dc.contributor.authorRoss, Arie
dc.contributor.supervisorMonchalin, Renée
dc.contributor.supervisorFrandsen, Natalie
dc.date.accessioned2023-12-20T23:05:32Z
dc.date.available2023-12-20T23:05:32Z
dc.date.copyright2023en_US
dc.date.issued2023-12-20
dc.degree.departmentSchool of Public Health and Social Policyen_US
dc.degree.levelMaster of Public Health M.P.H.en_US
dc.description.abstractAlthough there are no laws restricting abortion access in Canada, stigmatizing views of abortion still exist. Abortion-related stigma contributes to feelings of isolation and shame among those who have abortions, often leading to secrecy and hesitancy to seek support. However, experiences of abortion-related stigma among Indigenous Peoples in Canada have not been explored. This thesis research was nested within the exploratory study Global Goal, Local Impact: Access to Abortion Services for Indigenous Peoples in Canada (GGLI). Interview data were collected using a conversational method and analyzed following the DEPICT model. An intersectional feminist approach woven with a Two-Eyed Seeing methodology guided this work. Abortion-related stigma was experienced by all participants (N=15) and included internalized, service provider, social, and community stigma. Commonly, multiple aspects of stigma were experienced, revealing the interwoven and layered nature of abortion-related stigma. Abortion-related stigma was heightened further in the presence of intersecting identity factors, geographic barriers, lack of support, stereotypes, and perceived lack of credible information. Service provider stigma was most prevalent and manifested as poor communication, coercion, poor treatment, and potentially health care avoidance. Family and community, particularly those influenced by faith-based values and beliefs, impacted the experience of stigma and influenced feelings of shame, abortion access decisions, and contributed to a perceived lack of choice among some participants. Participants embodied resilience in the face of systemic barriers and proposed multiple solutions to reduce abortion-related stigma, including sharing stories as a means of resilience, reclamation, and support.en_US
dc.description.scholarlevelGraduateen_US
dc.identifier.bibliographicCitationRoss, A. (2023). Spurring the Witch Hunt: Abortion, colonialism, stigma, and Indigenous Knowledges in Canada. In R. Monchalin (Ed.), Critical Perspectives in Public Health Feminisms. (pp 57-67). Canadian Scholars Press.en_US
dc.identifier.bibliographicCitationMonchalin, R., Perez Piñan, A., Wells, M., Paul, W., Jubinville, D., Law, K., Chaffey, M., Pruder, H., & Ross, A. (2023). A qualitative study exploring access barriers to abortion services among Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Contraception. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2023.110056en_US
dc.identifier.bibliographicCitationMonchalin, R., Jubinville, D., Perez Piñan, A., Paul, W., Wells, M., Ross, A., Law, K., Chaffey, M., & Pruder, H. (2023). “I would love for there not to be so many hoops…”: Recommendations to improve abortion service access and experiences made by Indigenous women and 2SLGTBQIA+ people in Canada. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters. https://doi.org/10.1080/26410397.2023.2247667en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1828/15744
dc.languageEnglisheng
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Weben_US
dc.subjectabortionen_US
dc.subjectIndigenous Peoplesen_US
dc.subjectReproductive Healthen_US
dc.subjectReproductive Justiceen_US
dc.subjectIntersectional feminismen_US
dc.subjectTwo-Eyed Seeingen_US
dc.subjectStigmaen_US
dc.subjectColonialismen_US
dc.title“They couldn’t talk to anybody because there’s so much stigma”: A qualitative study exploring Indigenous Peoples’ experience of abortion-related stigma in Canadaen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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