OUR CHOICE, OUR VOICE: A COMPREHENSIVE ORAL HISTORY OF THE FEMALE EXPERIENCE OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE AND LEGISLATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Abstract

This study investigates whether or not college-aged women personally feel affected by the Dobbs decision in their lives. The information for the study was gathered through an oral history format to give a holistic picture of these women's lives, while gathering testimonies on the shift in perspective many of them experienced as a result of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Out of the 10 participants, 6 reported effects for themselves and 7 reported effects on other women or society as a whole due to these recent legal changes in abortion rights. These effects included decreased trust in lawmakers, lower overall safety, less willingness to seek reproductive healthcare, reduced optimism, increased fear about losing their rights, greater caution when sharing information and seeking care, and calls to action against the rulings. These effects arose not from their ideology but from their level of engagement in the national conversation, including their knowledge of the topic and willingness to seek out other's experiences of reproductive healthcare.