‘The first difficulty is time’: The impact of gestational age limits on reproductive health and justice in the context of cross-border travel for abortion care in Europe

Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data collected during a 5-year multi-disciplinary European research project, in this article we show how restrictions on access to legal abortion, and particularly gestational age (GA) limits at the end of the first trimester of pregnancy, negatively affect wo...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Zordo, Silvia de, Mishtal, Joanna, Zanini, Giulia, Gerdts, Caitlin
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2445/217424
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/217424
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Legalitat
Drets reproductius
Avortament
Edat gestacional
Europa
Legality
Reproductive rights
Abortion
Gestational age
Europe
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spelling ‘The first difficulty is time’: The impact of gestational age limits on reproductive health and justice in the context of cross-border travel for abortion care in EuropeZordo, Silvia deMishtal, JoannaZanini, GiuliaGerdts, CaitlinLegalitatDrets reproductiusAvortamentEdat gestacionalEuropaLegalityReproductive rightsAbortionGestational ageEuropeDrawing on qualitative and quantitative data collected during a 5-year multi-disciplinary European research project, in this article we show how restrictions on access to legal abortion, and particularly gestational age (GA) limits at the end of the first trimester of pregnancy, negatively affect women and pregnant people living in European countries where abortion is legal on request or on broad grounds. First, we examine why most European legislations establish GA limits, and illustrate how abortion is framed in national laws and in the current national and international legal and political debates on abortion rights. We then show, based on research data we collected during our 5-year project and contextualized with existing data and statistics, how these restrictions force thousands of people to travel across borders from European countries where abortion is legal, delaying access to care, and increasing pregnant people’s health risks. Finally, we explore, from an anthropological perspective, how pregnant people who travel across borders for abortion care conceptualize abortion access, and the relationship between the right to abortion care and the GA restrictions that limit this right. Our study participants criticize the time restrictions established by the laws in their countries of residence as failing to meet pregnant people’s needs, highlight the crucial importance of easy, timely access to abortion care even beyond the first trimester of pregnancy, and suggest a more relational approach to the right to access safe, legal abortion. Abortion travel is also a matter of reproductive justice because access to care depends on specific resources including finances, information, support, citizenship status, and social networks. Our work contributes to scholarly and public debates about reproductive governance and justice, by shifting the locus of attention to GA limits and its impact on women and pregnant people, particularly in geopolotical settings where abortion laws are deemed liberal.Elsevier Ltd202520232025info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion9 p.application/pdfapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/2445/217424Articles publicats en revistes (Antropologia Social)reponame:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunyainstname:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)InglésReproducció del document publicat a: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115760Social Science & Medicine, 2023, vol. 321https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115760cc-by (c) Zordo, Silvia de et al, 2023http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:recercat.cat:2445/2174242026-05-29T05:05:01Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv ‘The first difficulty is time’: The impact of gestational age limits on reproductive health and justice in the context of cross-border travel for abortion care in Europe
title ‘The first difficulty is time’: The impact of gestational age limits on reproductive health and justice in the context of cross-border travel for abortion care in Europe
spellingShingle ‘The first difficulty is time’: The impact of gestational age limits on reproductive health and justice in the context of cross-border travel for abortion care in Europe
Zordo, Silvia de
Legalitat
Drets reproductius
Avortament
Edat gestacional
Europa
Legality
Reproductive rights
Abortion
Gestational age
Europe
title_short ‘The first difficulty is time’: The impact of gestational age limits on reproductive health and justice in the context of cross-border travel for abortion care in Europe
title_full ‘The first difficulty is time’: The impact of gestational age limits on reproductive health and justice in the context of cross-border travel for abortion care in Europe
title_fullStr ‘The first difficulty is time’: The impact of gestational age limits on reproductive health and justice in the context of cross-border travel for abortion care in Europe
title_full_unstemmed ‘The first difficulty is time’: The impact of gestational age limits on reproductive health and justice in the context of cross-border travel for abortion care in Europe
title_sort ‘The first difficulty is time’: The impact of gestational age limits on reproductive health and justice in the context of cross-border travel for abortion care in Europe
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Zordo, Silvia de
Mishtal, Joanna
Zanini, Giulia
Gerdts, Caitlin
author Zordo, Silvia de
author_facet Zordo, Silvia de
Mishtal, Joanna
Zanini, Giulia
Gerdts, Caitlin
author_role author
author2 Mishtal, Joanna
Zanini, Giulia
Gerdts, Caitlin
author2_role author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Legalitat
Drets reproductius
Avortament
Edat gestacional
Europa
Legality
Reproductive rights
Abortion
Gestational age
Europe
topic Legalitat
Drets reproductius
Avortament
Edat gestacional
Europa
Legality
Reproductive rights
Abortion
Gestational age
Europe
description Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data collected during a 5-year multi-disciplinary European research project, in this article we show how restrictions on access to legal abortion, and particularly gestational age (GA) limits at the end of the first trimester of pregnancy, negatively affect women and pregnant people living in European countries where abortion is legal on request or on broad grounds. First, we examine why most European legislations establish GA limits, and illustrate how abortion is framed in national laws and in the current national and international legal and political debates on abortion rights. We then show, based on research data we collected during our 5-year project and contextualized with existing data and statistics, how these restrictions force thousands of people to travel across borders from European countries where abortion is legal, delaying access to care, and increasing pregnant people’s health risks. Finally, we explore, from an anthropological perspective, how pregnant people who travel across borders for abortion care conceptualize abortion access, and the relationship between the right to abortion care and the GA restrictions that limit this right. Our study participants criticize the time restrictions established by the laws in their countries of residence as failing to meet pregnant people’s needs, highlight the crucial importance of easy, timely access to abortion care even beyond the first trimester of pregnancy, and suggest a more relational approach to the right to access safe, legal abortion. Abortion travel is also a matter of reproductive justice because access to care depends on specific resources including finances, information, support, citizenship status, and social networks. Our work contributes to scholarly and public debates about reproductive governance and justice, by shifting the locus of attention to GA limits and its impact on women and pregnant people, particularly in geopolotical settings where abortion laws are deemed liberal.
publishDate 2023
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2023
2025
2025
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/2445/217424
url https://hdl.handle.net/2445/217424
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Reproducció del document publicat a: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115760
Social Science & Medicine, 2023, vol. 321
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115760
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv cc-by (c) Zordo, Silvia de et al, 2023
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv cc-by (c) Zordo, Silvia de et al, 2023
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv 9 p.
application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier Ltd
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier Ltd
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Articles publicats en revistes (Antropologia Social)
reponame:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
instname:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
instname_str Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
reponame_str Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
collection Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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score 15,198674

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