Scholars, including Peter Harvey, Robert Florida and David Stott, assume that the authors/redactors of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya—the monastic code of the Mūlasarvāstivāda school—agreed with those from the Theravāda school on the topic of abortion. This assumption appears to be primarily based on one prātimokṣa rule as it is found in two locations in the Tibetan Buddhist Canon. Moreover, a longstanding scholarly preference for sources extant in Pāli, such as the Theravāda Vinaya, and the preconceived notion that all Indian Buddhists were anti-abortion, impact contemporary studies of Buddhist attitudes towards abortion in Vinaya. The primary goal of this thesis is to offer an extensive comparison of passages related to abortion recorded in a number of locations in Buddhist monastic literature. I examine three main pieces of evidence: 1) the third pārājika rule addressing monastic involvement in homicide; 2) word-commentary and cases illustrating this rule; and 3) stories that do not illustrate a pārājika offence but include abortion in the narrative. Although Mūlasarvāstivādin authors/redactors, like their Theravādin counterparts, include anti-abortion attitudes in their monastic literature, I uncover a number of discrepancies in comparable passages related to abortion in the Vinaya of these two schools. To give but one example, Mahāsāṃghika-Lokottaravādin and Mūlasarvāstivādin authors/redactors appear hesitant to include in their Vinayas narratives that portray monks assisting laywomen in procuring abortions: something the Theravādins record in a number of locations. While the ramifications of such differences are not immediately clear, we can at least conclude, in contrast to what previous studies imply, that Buddhist attitudes toward abortion are not recorded in a simple one-to-one correlation across extant Indian Vinayas. / Thesis / Master of Arts in Religion (MAR)

Bakgrund: Samvetsklausul inom abortvården är vanligt världen över. Flera studier har visat hur samvetsklausul påverkar såväl personalen som kvinnors tillgång till abort. Kvinnors upplevelser av abort i ett land med samvetsklausul är däremot ett outforskat fält. Studien genomfördes i Kroatien. Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka kvinnors upplevelser av abort i ett land med samvetsklausul. Material och metod: Sju kvinnor med erfarenhet av abort deltog i semistrukturerade intervjuer som analyserades med hjälp av kvalitativ textanalys med induktiv ansats. Resultatet diskuterades utifrån scriptteori med inslag av Rubins cirkel och stigmabegreppet. Resultat: Resultatet sammanfattades i ett övergripande huvudtema; att navigera i minerat landskap – kvinnors upplevelser av abort i ett land med samvetsklausul. Studien visar att samvetsklausul påverkar kvinnornas psykiska hälsa, tillgången till abortvård, bemötande samt bidrar till en moraliserande syn på sexualitet. Samvetsklausul som resultat av religiösa invändningar får konsekvenser inom offentligt vård då den påverkar personalens uppfattningar om abort och därmed information om abort samt information om preventivmedel. Kvinnans sexualitet och beslut om abort blir en kollektiv angelägenhet och kvinnorna stigmatiseras. Sammanfattning: Samvetsklausul inom abortvården, trots en fri abortlag, legitimerar moralisering då möjligheter ges för personalen att tolka lagen utifrån egna moraliska ståndpunkter. Samvetsklausulen påverkar därmed en diskurs som riskerar att leda till en uttalad stigmatisering av kvinnan och hennes sexualitet. / Background: It is common worldwide to have a conscience clause within abortion care. Several studies have shown how the conscience clause affects both staff and women's access to abortion. Women's experiences of abortion in a country with a conscience clause is however an unexplored field. This study was conducted in Croatia. Aim: The aim of the study was to explore women's experiences of abortion in a country with conscience clause. Data and Methods: Seven women with experience of abortion participated in semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analysed using qualitative text analysis with inductive approach. The data was discussed from script theory with elements of Rubin's circle and the stigma concept. Results: The results were summarized in a comprehensive main theme; to navigate the minefield - women's experiences of abortion in a country with conscience clause. The study shows that the conscience clause affect women's mental health, access to abortion care, treatment, and contributes to a moralistic view of sexuality. A conscience clause as a result of religious objections has implications in public health as it affects the staff's views on abortion and thus information about abortion and contraception. The woman's sexuality and decisions about abortion becomes a public affair, and the women become stigmatized. Summary: The conscience clause in abortion care, despite a free abortion law, legitimizes moralizing when opportunities are provided for staff to interpret the law based on their own moral positions. The conscience clause thereby affect a discourse that could lead to a pronounced stigmatization of the woman and her sexuality.

This pilot study sought to describe the patterns of health risk factors and objective physical findings in well rural Appalachian women. A retrospective chart review was conducted of the records of 50 women who received a health history, physical examination, and appropriate laboratory testing as part of a rural community wellness project. The most prevalent risk factors found were past or present smoking, history of lung disease, physical inactivity, obesity, and hypercholesterolemia. Higher numbers of risk factors per person were correlated with lower levels of education. The most prevalent physical findings were systolic blood pressure greater than 140 and diastolic greater than 90, diastolic blood pressure greater than 90 with normal systolic, total cholesterol greater than 240, low-density lipoprotein levels greater than 130, and greater than 20% over ideal weight. This sample reveals a high prevalence of risk factors for the leading causes of mortality in middle-aged women, partially accounted for by low formal education levels, poverty, and limited access to health care.

Bakgrund: Inducerad abort är ett vanligt ingrepp och en beståndsdel i sexuell och reproduktiv hälsa och rättigheter [SRHR], vilket relaterar till mänskliga rättigheter. Rätten till trygg, säker och respektfull abort är en viktig fråga för jämställdhet och kvinnohälsa. Bemötandet från vårdpersonal kan påverka utfallet av omvårdnaden och därmed kvinnors hälsa. Syfte: Att beskriva kvinnors erfarenheter av vårdpersonalens bemötande vid inducerad abort. Metod: Litteraturöversikt med kvalitativ innehållsanalys samt tematisk analys av 10 vetenskapliga originalartiklar insamlade via databaserna CINAHL och PubMed samt sökverktyget Google Scholar. Resultat: Två teman identifierades: Mellanmänsklig relation samt Instrumentella behov. Resultatet visade att positiva interaktioner med vårdpersonal är centralt för att skapa en god vårdupplevelse. Empatiskt bemötande, psykosocialt stöd och adekvat information som utgår från individen gör att kvinnor känner sig sedda, hörda och trygga genom abortprocessen. Slutsats: Kvinnor som söker abort är i behov av omvårdnad som genomsyras av empatiskt bemötande och adekvat information utifrån individen. Vårdpersonalen behöver kliniska kunskaper, goda kommunikationsfärdigheter och en förmåga till personcentrerad omvårdnad. För att uppnå detta krävs stöd till personalen. Ytterligare forskning krävs kring både vårdpersonalens och de abortsökande kvinnornas behov för att uppnå målen om en god, säker och respektfull abortvård. / Background: Induced abortion is a common procedure and a component of sexual and reproductive health and rights [SRHR], which relates to human rights. The right to safe, secure and respectful abortion is an important issue for equality and women's health- The response of health professionals (HCP) can affect the outcome of care and thus women's health. Aim of the study: To describe women's experiences of how they are treated by HCP during induced abortion. Method: Literature review with qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis of 10 original scientific articles collected via the databases CINAHL, PubMed and Google Scholar.  Result: Two themes were identified: Interpersonal relationship and Instrumental needs. The results showed that positive interactions with HCP are central to creating a good healthcare experience, where empathic treatment, psychosocial support and adequate information based on the individual are central to women feeling seen, heard and safe through the abortion process. Conclusion: Women seeking need care characterized by empathy and adequate information based on the individual. HCP need clinical knowledge, good communication skills and an ability to provide person-centered care. To achieve this, support for staff is needed. Further research is suggested on the needs of both HCP and women seeking abortion to achieve the goals of good, safe and respectful abortion care.

This dissertation discusses the history of the politics of abortion in Argentina from the standpoint of democratic constitutionalism. It describes the normative world in which a legal rule criminalizing women who interrupted their pregnancies emerged in 1921, and the slow process through which the rule was re-politicized. The dissertation makes a contribution to the theory of democratic constitutionalism, by highlighting its usefulness for comparative analyses because it is based on common and usual features of democratic societies. It also contributes to the history of abortion regulation in Argentina, by underscoring the life of the law outside courts. Based on social movement theory, the dissertation contributes to the literature that finds that individuals play a very meaningful role in processes of legal and constitutional change.

This thesis investigates the stories of Jewish women and men living in Europe during the Holocaust who made decisions related to pregnancy, abortion, birth, and ‘parenting’ in ghettos, concentration camps, and in hiding. By reviewing existing, publicly accessible survivor testimonies, and by interviewing still-living survivors, I analyze the various ways Jewish women and men used available but limited forms of reproductive assistance to preserve their own lives and to secure the safety of their unborn or born children. Jewish women and their doctors or other ad-hoc medical providers weighed the risks of possible illness or diseases resulting from clandestine care against the seemingly greater or graver risk of Nazi exposure. By highlighting stories from Holocaust survivors who speak about experiences receiving or providing reproductive “health care” during the Holocaust, this study emphasizes what survivors say about seeking or providing abortions under conditions they might not have otherwise accepted, pursued, or suggested. Women who became pregnant during the Holocaust embody the unspeakable dilemma of “birthing into death,” as reproduction often meant murder for Jewish mothers. Pregnant Jewish women and their partners, the medical providers who attended to them, and their witnesses during the Holocaust all have unique perspectives on their own in-the-moment responses to pregnancy under extreme conditions. Their testimonies speak to how the decisions they made involved Jewish cultural notions of childrearing in Europe during the time of the Holocaust, and to the complex shaping of traumatic memory.

No description available.

A woman who has experienced an unintended pregnancy and chooses to place the child for adoption is known as a birthmother. When faced with an unintended pregnancy, women typically have three courses of action. They may choose to parent the child, terminate the pregnancy, or place the child for adoption. There is limited research on birthmothers themselves or societal perceptions of them. When it comes to societal perceptions of abortion, religiosity is a significant factor. Contrary to popular belief, many of the women who choose to abort do so in order to preserve the lives of their families. Single mothers are judged as poor workers due to their devotion to their children, a viewpoint that is compounded if the mother is black. This indicates that race may also play a role in perceptions of birthmothers. This research aimed to discover public perceptions of birthmothers and test factors that might contribute to those perceptions namely, abortion opinions. This study utilized data collected from a previous study with an online survey of 501 students from a university population conducted in the spring of 2015. Survey questions were open ended, multiple choice, and Likert scale. This study discovered that opinions of birthmothers are largely positive and that opinions on abortion may have a link with opinions of birthmothers. The findings of this study are important because there is minimal research on birthmothers and it helps shed light on public perceptions of this marginalized group. Research has shown that many birthmothers experience a lack of social support that could be remedied from programming that helps these women cope within society and efforts to educate the public about them.

No description available.

A woman’s right to choose to have an abortion has been constitutionally protected since 1973 when, in Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruled that the state may not wholly restrict a woman’s choice to terminate a pregnancy. In Roe, the Court invoked the 14th Amendment’s imprecise guarantee of personal liberty as grounds for the right to terminate a pregnancy without excessive interference. In later cases, specifically Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey (1992), the Court clarified that mere possession of the right to abortion is insufficient to guarantee personal liberty– abortion seekers must be able to exercise their right, free of “undue burdens.” According to Casey, statutes which pose an undue burden to the right to an abortion violate the Constitution. This thesis considers whether the burdens placed on abortion seekers in Florida are constitutional or a violation of the 14th Amendment guarantee to equal protection under the law. In order to measure the diversity in burdens faced by abortion-seekers, I collect data on all 67 counties across Florida, guided by the Court’s definition of relevant variables for the purpose of abortion access: the number of providers, the availability of a judicial bypass of restrictions, and the physical distance to clinics. This data is combined in a single statistic, which is called the Unde Burden Score. There is tremendous variation in the score across Florida counties, posing a challenge to the promise of equal protection under the law and for those attempting to exercise their reproductive rights. The findings suggest that Florida’s intrastate access to abortion is incredibly contingent on geographic location, suggesting that the equal right to abortion exists in theory, but not in practice.