Gendered Responsibilities in Unplanned Pregnancy Resolution under Dobbs

• In Event: 30258 - Reproduction in the US Post-Roe

Abstract

Heterosexual college women bear the unequal burden of stress and anxiety when contraception fails and feel responsible for unplanned pregnancy resolution. I explore how this gendered labor of worrying is exacerbated under the 2022 Dobbs decision, which bans all forms of abortion in Texas. This study uses in-depth interviews with 32 undergraduate students at a large, public university in Texas to describe the ways in which they are planning to resolve hypothetical pregnancies, which often conform to a gendered division of labor that places women in charge. Many students additionally report abortion travel planning to ensure they would receive the necessary abortion resources and care across state lines. My findings suggest that unplanned pregnancy resolution contains stunning gendered and political dynamics.

Author

• Carly Danielle Young, The University of Texas at Austin