# Staying in a punishing place: online narratives about pregnancy and abortion in pre-liberalisation Ireland

## TL;DR

This study examines the emotional and mental health experiences of women in pre-2019 Ireland who could not travel for abortion care, highlighting the harm caused by restrictive abortion policies.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the mental health impacts of abortion restrictions on women who remain in restrictive contexts rather than traveling for care.

## Key findings

- Women described waiting for medical care as emotionally torturous.
- Self-managed abortions were often accompanied by significant fear.
- Some women felt forced to continue pregnancies due to restrictive circumstances.

## Abstract

Restricted abortion access impinges on the human rights and health of a significant number of women globally. The reproductive justice framework, as well as recent calls for the normalisation of abortion, encourage examination of the deleterious effects of abortion restrictions. This study explores the self-generated, online narratives of women who experienced crises in pregnancy while living in a restrictive context, namely pre-2019 Ireland, and who did not travel for abortion care. Mental health and emotional experiences are a specific focus. From an archived version of posts to the In her Shoes – Women of the Eighth Facebook page made in 2018–2019 (N = 728), 96 personal narratives were sampled. Narratives that did not feature travel for abortion care (n = 25) were selected for thematic analysis, which was completed by a single researcher in 2024. Themes that emerged included waiting for intervention as a form of mental torture, fear during self-managed abortion, attempts to self-induce abortion driven by despair, and variation in the extent to which proceeding with the pregnancy was a choice. Most women who stayed in place had been constrained by circumstances in deciding to do so. These results enrich our understanding of the negative effects of restrictive contexts on women’s emotional wellbeing. They also draw attention to those who are effectively trapped in restricted contexts and overlooked when the literature narrowly focuses on outward travel from restrictive contexts for abortion care.

Being able to access abortion is an important human right. It is also important for women’s health. Abortion was not available in Ireland until 2019. The In Her Shoes Facebook page posted the stories of women living in Ireland who became pregnant before 2019. This study examines 25 stories posted on this Facebook page. The writers of these stories did not leave Ireland to have an abortion. Some knew that their babies were unwell and would not survive. They described being forced to wait for medical care as emotionally very difficult. Others ordered abortion pills and took them at home. They described being very frightened during this experience. A small number tried to cause a miscarriage. They did this by hurting their bodies in many ways. Several women continued their pregnancies. Some described this as a choice. Others described feeling forced. Overall, this study demonstrates that not having access to abortion can harm women. One way it can harm women is by causing mental and emotional suffering. Not all women can travel to access abortion. It is important to study the experiences of those who travel, but also those who do not. Both groups face emotional challenges.