Contesting abortion stigma through contemporary visual art

The social stigmatisation of abortion and of persons who have had abortions persists in many countries. In the social sciences, research on this subject is relatively new. In addition to the analysis of exactly what this stigma entails and what effects it generates, scholars have investigated ways of reducing it and, in some cases, have proposed trajectories for its eradication.

In this thesis, I examine a range of artworks, projects and exhibitions dealing with abortion and argue that contemporary visual arts can serve as an important critical means of both investigating and challenging abortion stigma. My approach is inter-disciplinary: artworks and projects that deal with abortion are analysed through the lens of art history and visual theory, while insights into abortion stigma from a (medical) sociological perspective provide an important analytical counterpart to the discussion. By bringing together arguments from these two fields, my study offers an innovative perspective on the histories and discourses that have shaped — and continue to shape — conceptions of abortion stigma.

In light of its position at the intersection of social sciences and visual arts, this thesis contributes to the emerging field of health humanities. From the perspective of the visual arts, the thesis fills a gap in the literature by combining a critical analysis of depictions of abortion in art since the 1960s with an examination of how abortion stigma has been visually problematised. From the perspective of the social sciences, on the other hand, this study offers an important new perspective on the subject by illuminating ways in which visual art can be used to reinforce or challenge the stigmatisation of individuals and groups.

The analysis proceeds via a selection of case studies from the 1960s to the present. These have been chosen and grouped into four chapters according to the main reasons why abortion is stigmatised: because it violates ideals of womanhood; because it is seen as unhealthy and dirty; because personhood is attributed to the fetus; and because of legal restrictions. Since pregnancy termination and its related stigma are highly contextual, the analyses pay close attention to the socio-cultural circumstances in which the artworks were created. In order to impose coherence on the discussion — including as to the kinds of art infrastructure in which the works are generated and the discourses to which they appeal — I have focused on examples that are located or created in the so-called Global North.

The case studies are embedded in a networked contemporary art world and respond to — or in some cases influence — developments in national politics, law, and culture. Their analyses will be contextual and intersectional, and will further expand through discursive networks about medicine, religion, politics, activism, and popular culture. Accordingly, this dissertation adds to the scholarship about abortion stigma from the perspective of art history, while taking into account and problematising knowledge from key related disciplines.