Current events, and restrictions on reproductive autonomy as violence

"The abortion saved me. It saved me from a much-diminished life."
—Jen Jackson Quintano

The past two weeks have brought disturbing reports of sexual assault both nationally and here in Idaho (North Idaho and Boise), once again raising questions about autonomy, power, and who gets to make decisions about another person’s body.

Against that backdrop, we’ve been reflecting on a paper published in the American Journal of Public Health titled Reproductive Autonomy Restrictions as Collective Violence. Its authors argue that government policies restricting reproductive autonomy can themselves constitute a form of violence by:

• Systematically restricting our civil liberties and bodily autonomy.

• Undermining our psychological, social, political, and economic well-being.

• Having wide-ranging negative consequences for entire communities and disproportionately harming the most vulnerable and marginalized.

Interpersonal violence is often easier to recognize because we can identify the person who inflicted the harm. But abortion bans also cause very real consequences—injury, psychological harm, deprivation, and in some cases, death. The authors ask us to understand the systematic denial of reproductive autonomy not simply as a political issue, but as a form of collective harm.

This is why we tell stories: one person can be dismissed. A chorus is harder to ignore. Much of this harm is preventable. Stories alone won’t stop it, but together our voices can be loud enough to change public understanding, challenge longstanding shame and stigma, and demand accountability.

Explore the Abortion Stories Library, Physicians' Stories, or share your story here.