Identity (Re)constructions in Mothers' Online Stories about Terminating Wanted Pregnancies Due to Health Complications

Abstract

Women who have an abortion experience a major disruption to their identities in addition to being at a higher risk for deleterious health outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal behavior. These identity and health implications become even more complicated when a woman terminates a wanted pregnancy due to health complications. In the present study, we took an interpretive narrative approach to explore the identity (re)constructions of 33 women who terminated a wanted pregnancy due to fetal health complications. Narrative thematic analysis revealed five distinct identities: (a) the political mother, (b) the devastated mother, (c) the grieving but hopeful mother, (d), the self-sacrificing mother, and the (e) every mother. Implications for how these identity constructions can inform both theory and practice are discussed.