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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Signy Judd, MPH, Bixby Center for Reproductive Health Research & Policy, University of California, San Francisco, 655 13th Street, Suite 201, Preservation Park, Oakland, CA 94612, 415-377-1218, judds@obgyn.ucsf.edu and Carole Joffe, PhD, Sociology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Social Science & Humanities Bldg., #2244, Davis, CA 95616.

The confirmation of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court has shed light on an important issue long kept in the dark: men's role in abortion. In a 1991 case, Alito ruled in favor of spousal notification. Men's role in abortion is hardly a new topic, since they have always been part of the pregnancy equation. However, there has been a dearth of research on this issue. A Medline search on the keywords men AND abortion yields thousands of articles, most focusing on genetics and spontaneous abortion. When narrowed to men AND elective abortion, the number of articles is whittled to 81. Many of these examine couples' decision making around diagnoses of fetal anomalies or multiple pregnancies. Fewer than 15 explore the experiences of men involved in an unwanted pregnancy that results in an elective abortion, and most of these studies were conducted in other countries. Just as there is silence in the literature, there is limited discussion at the programmatic and policy levels. Though there is a growing movement around ‘men's involvement' in reproductive health, abortion is not part of these efforts. Nor does abortion tend to enter into public debates about teen pregnancy prevention. Interestingly, though, in the “real world” of abortion provision, clinics across the country have developed strategies to support men as well as women. In this presentation we critically examine this silence, debate why it exists, and lay out some options for developing a research agenda that better explores men's role in abortion in the US.

Learning Objectives:

• Critically examine the silences in public health research, programs and policies regarding men’s role in abortion;
• Articulate the need for more research on this topic, and identify specific ideas for investigation of men’s rights, responsibilities and experiences with abortion.

Keywords: Abortion, Male Reproductive Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation