Deconstructing abortion stigma in Ghana and Zambia

Identifying social markers, social norms and practices that have the potential of stigmatizing abortion is essential to ensuring that all women are able to exercise their reproductive rights. However, few researchers or practitioners have explored how abortion stigma is generated in different contexts; by whom; what forms it takes; and the consequences for women seeking abortions. Without understanding these dynamics, designing effective interventions to reduce abortion stigma are impossible. This research was undertaken to identify roots, causes and manifestations of abortion stigma at the community level in Ghana and Zambia, two countries with fairly liberal abortion laws and multiple access barriers to safe abortions. Fifteen focus group discussions were conducted with married and unmarried men and women in two communities in each country. This qualitative data was used to generate an item pool to develop an abortion stigma scale to measure abortion stigma at the community level and evaluate relevant interventions. The tool was pretested in each community and modified as necessary. A factor analysis technique was used to develop a statistically valid scale. Correlations were examined between abortion stigma, personal characteristics and geographic locations to develop a scale that is broadly applicable and adaptable. This tool will be used to evaluate community interventions and for future programmatic planning.

This presentation will help individuals to better understand how abortion stigma may affect attitudes, practices and access to services, and what steps could be taken to mitigate it.