ALTERNATIVE ABORTION NARRATIVES in NEW MEXICO Abigail Adams
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University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository Anthropology ETDs Electronic Theses and Dissertations 7-1-2009 CHOICE IDEOLOGY AND THE PARAMETERS OF ITS PRACTICE: ALTERNATIVE ABORTION NARRATIVES IN NEW MEXICO Abigail Adams Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/anth_etds Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Adams, Abigail. "CHOICE IDEOLOGY AND THE PARAMETERS OF ITS PRACTICE: ALTERNATIVE ABORTION NARRATIVES IN NEW MEXICO." (2009). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/anth_etds/1 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Anthropology ETDs by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abi~I Rae Adams Ca1iil1 "~ Anthrop0Jogy This dissertation is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication: Approved by the Dissertation Committee: , Chairperson CHOICE IDEOLOGY AND THE PARAMETERS OF ITS PRACTICE: ALTERNATIVE ABORTION NARRATIVES IN NEW MEXICO BY ABIGAIL RAE ADAMS B.A., Anthropology/Sociology, College of Wooster, 1993 M.A., Anthropology, University of New Mexico, 1996 DISSERTATION Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Anthropology The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico August, 2009 ii © 2009, Abigail Rae Adams iii DEDICATION In loving memory of my parents, Roberta and Richard, who taught me the joy of books and good food. And, to Candice Marie, my true love, who guided me through the Fire Swamp. As you wish. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge my adviser, Dr. Carole Nagengast, for her grace, patience, and unwavering support of this endeavor. I would also like to thank the members of my committee- Dr. Louise Lamphere, Dr. Les Field, and Dr. Janet Cramer – for the time they devoted to scholarly and professional guidance. I also want to recognize the many dedicated and exceptional teachers who have contributed to my intellectual development at various stages of my education. I want to express my deep gratitude to my partner Candice Bolger, who has loved me unconditionally and brought me the purest happiness. I am eternally grateful to my family, the Kennedy Clan (Amie, John, Grace and Callie), and my brothers Drew and Mark. Without their loving support, generosity, and faith, I could not have achieved this goal. I also am indebted to my dearest friend and editor Dan Dekker, who saved me the very first time we met, and has done so time and again. I recognize the great privilege I had to speak with women about their world-views and personal histories surrounding abortion and hope to honor their courage in this ethnography. I am truly thankful to these women and am humbled by their bravery. I am especially indebted to the amazing people who are the Powell Clinic. In the face of extreme adversity, the staff cultivates a culture of love and respect. Abortion workers are among the unsung heroes of our nation, sacrificing personal safety for the belief that women are moral decision-makers and that parenthood is too sacred to enter into without joyfulness. You have my greatest admiration. v CHOICE IDEOLOGY AND THE PARAMETERS OF ITS PRACTICE: ALTERNATIVE ABORTION NARRATIVES IN NEW MEXICO BY ABIGAIL RAE ADAMS ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Anthropology The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico August, 2009 vi CHOICE IDEOLOGY AND THE PARAMETERS OF ITS PRACTICE: ALTERNATIVE ABORTION NARRATIVES IN NEW MEXICO BY ABIGAIL RAE ADAMS B.A., Anthropology/Sociology, College of Wooster, 1993 M.A., Anthropology, University of New Mexico, 1996 Ph.D., Anthropology, University of New Mexico, 2009 ABSTRACT The ideology of choice, embedded in the pro-choice, anti-abortion debate in the United States, is founded on Enlightenment notions that take the autonomous individual with perfect knowledge and rationality as the unit of analysis. The basic premise is that each woman “chooses” from a variety of equally accessible options. Hidden in the political language of choice are the constraints all women face as they attempt to negotiate reproduction, especially if they wish to end a pregnancy. “Choice” does not exist as an abstract freedom, but is situated within the realities of power and agency. This paper examines the ability of “choice” to serve as a framework for abortion decisions and the alternative narratives employed by women to express the complexity of an abortion experience. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................xv Chapter 1: Introduction: Up from the Ashes..................................................................1 Research Methods: Participant-Observation, Interviews, and Statistics .................8 The Silence of Women Choosing ..........................................................................15 Choice Ideology and its Critiques..........................................................................19 Abortion and Reproductive Rights in the United States........................................25 The Physician’ Campaign..........................................................................25 Roe v. Wade and the Hyde Amendment .....................................................26 The State’s Investment: Fetal Personhood and Fetal Rights .................................31 Stratified Reproduction and the State’s Interest in the Womb ..............................34 Conclusion: the Structure of the Dissertation ........................................................35 Chapter 2: Conducting Research at an Abortion Clinic..............................................37 Becoming an Abortion Worker..............................................................................37 My Positionality as Researcher and Abortion Worker ..........................................39 A History of the Clinic...........................................................................................42 Clifford Powell’s Beginnings as an Illegal Abortionist.........................................44 The Ghettoization of Abortion Service..................................................................50 Guiding Philosophy...............................................................................................52 Staff Politics...........................................................................................................54 Conclusion: Abortion Work as a Calling...............................................................58 Chapter 3: Women Who Have Abortions in New Mexico ...........................................60 Abortion Rates in the United States.......................................................................60 viii Abortion Rates in New Mexico .............................................................................61 Statistical Analysis of Clinic Clients .....................................................................62 Limitations of the Data ..........................................................................................65 Figure 3:1 Participants’ Place of Residence ..............................................66 Ethnic Identity........................................................................................................69 Figure 3:2 Ethnic Identity of Participants..................................................71 Figure 3:3 Client and Participant Ethnic Demographic for 2006 ..............72 Hispanic Women ........................................................................................72 Native American Women............................................................................76 White Women .............................................................................................80 Black Women .............................................................................................82 Mixed Women.............................................................................................83 Age ....................................................................................................................83 Figure 3:4 Mean and Median Age of Participants.....................................84 Figure 3:5 Ages of Participants..................................................................85 Mothers ..................................................................................................................85 Figure 3:6 Participants’ Number of Children ............................................87 Previous Abortions.................................................................................................88 Figure 3:7 Number of Previous Abortions.................................................88 Marital Status: Partnered or Unpartnered ..............................................................89 Figure 3:8 Marital Status ...........................................................................89 Educational Level..................................................................................................90 Figure 3:9 Education Level........................................................................90 ix Income....................................................................................................................91 Participants’ Political Identification Before the Abortion .....................................93