Abortion restrictions are a form of gender-based violence
25 November marks the beginning of an annual campaign of 16 days of activism against Gender-Based Violence.
At ASN we recognise that whilst we have a clear goal – to fund abortions – our work does not exist in a vacuum. We work to support people who are denied access to fundamental human rights – that of healthcare and bodily autonomy. We work with and alongside organisations working to end violence against women and girls (VAWG), as part of wide network of people striving for a better world, and who make up the intersectional feminist community.
Our work is funding abortions. But it is never just about abortions. The reasons people can’t access abortion care are linked to wider systems of oppression. A fundamental tool of patriarchy is the oppression and control of reproducing bodies.
Why is gender-based violence connected to abortion?
Abortion and reproductive justice are intrinsically linked to gender-based violence.
Abortion restrictions are a form of gender-based violence.
Restrictions on abortion primarily affect women, as well as other people who can get pregnant. In extreme cases, abortion bans can be fatal – such as in the tragic deaths of Izabela in Poland and Savita Halappanavar. Both of these women died in hospital awaiting life-saving care, which was denied to them because of restrictions on abortion.
Abortion bans are a way of restricting freedom for women and people who can get pregnant. Lack of access to abortion leads to a lack of options in the rest of life: people forced to continue pregnancies have their freedom restricted for the rest of their lives.
This includes being forced to stay in contact with abusive partners and family members. Being forced to continue a pregnancy may lead to loss of income, loss of career progression, loss of financial stability – all ways of exerting control and coercion over women.
Abortion bans can be a breach of women’s human rights, as shown in the recent ECHR ruling on Poland’s enforcement of an abortion ban.
People who are impacted by abortion bans also experience other gender-based violence
People who are marginalised often face multiple types of oppression. Someone who experiences racism, sexism, homophobia, systematic xenophobia or class prejudice is more likely to experience gender-based violence. This is compounded by additional forms of violence, for example hate crimes.
Similarly, restricting access to basic healthcare has a greater impact on people who are already marginalised. Women of colour already face an intersection of misogyny and racism within medical institutions, are more likely to be living in poverty and are more likely to experience gender-based violence. This means they are also more likely to be impacted by barriers to abortion, such as prohibitive cost.
Abortion bans are always harmful, but they are less likely stop you accessing care if you have uncomplicated access to the financial means to travel, can travel freely without stigma or shame from your community, can take time off work, are supported by your family and can travel internationally without facing the additional dangers of border violence.
Gender-based violence can be an additional barrier to accessing abortion
Experiencing abuse, in particular relationship abuse or sexual violence, can be an additional barrier to accessing abortion care. People experiencing violence may be less able to freely access healthcare, including abortion services, for many reasons. Some of the additional barriers could be;
- Controlling partners, including coercive control, control of transport and money, or access to a phone
- Stigma, shame and fear of disclosure
- Isolation from family or friends and the support systems that make travelling for an abortion possible.
It is also worth noting that pregnancy is considered to be an additional risk factor for domestic abuse, which increases even further after giving birth. For some people in abusive situations, access to abortion is a lifeline.
An increase in far-right activity leads to greater restriction on abortion access and increased gender-based violence
The rise of the far-right across Europe is a risk to abortion access, and a sign of a well-funded, strategic anti-rights movement. We have seen several high-profile examples of people within the anti-abortion space defending or condoning violence against women, and two in five of those arrested at anti-migrant protests in 2024 have been previously reported for domestic abuse themselves.
We explore the connections between abortion rights and the rise of the far right further in this blog.