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Fear, Shame and Medical Abortion in Irish Media (1985 – 2015)

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Fear, Shame and Medical Abortion in Irish Media (1985 – 2015) An Intimate Public: Fear, Shame and Medical Abortion in Irish Media (1985 – 2015) By Danielle Breslin Submitted to the Department of Gender Studies, Central European University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Erasmus Mundus Master’s Degree in Women’s and Gender Studies CEU eTD Collection Main Supervisor: Hadley J. Renkin (Central European University) Second Reader: Adelina Sanchez Espinosa (University of Granada) Budapest, Hungary October 2019 CEU eTD Collection An Intimate Public: Fear, Shame and Medical Abortion in Irish Media (1985 – 2015) by Danielle Breslin Submitted to the Department of Gender Studies, Central European University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Erasmus Mundus Master’s Degree in Women’s and Gender Studies Main Supervisor: Hadley J. Renkin (Central European University) Second reader: Adelina Sanchez Espinosa (University of Granada) Budapest, Hungary October 2019 Approved by: ____________________ Gemma Partner Universities Consortium CEU eTD Collection Abstract: In this thesis, I argue that an intimate public elaborated itself through narratives of fear and shame in relation to coverage of (illegal) medical abortion use in Irish media, provoking historico-cultural anxieties around the female body and the place of the family in society, whilst also opening up new avenues for negotiating questions of women’s bodily autonomy and agency in ways which had not been possible before. While scholars of cultural theory have written extensively on gender and abortion politics in relation to Ireland, none have considered how national narratives of fear and shame in the media established and proliferated medical abortion use as a site for the reproduction of idealized gendered and national identity. Similarly, no research has of yet considered the significance of the medical abortion phenomenon as a transformative moment in the history of Irish abortion politics. Tracing the developments of illegal medical abortion use in Ireland through media reports on the topic from 1985 – 2015, I use affect theory and feminist theories of nationalism to close read texts on the subject in the years preceding news of its increasing illegal use in Ireland and thereafter until 2015. Tracing the work that emotion performs in this intimate public allows for the scrutiny of prevailing constructions of gender and iterations of national belonging which affirm the fantasies of the (re)productive nation. Attending to these processes, particularly as they relate to the (re)production of national norms, enables the deconstruction of cultural imperatives in place on gender and national identity in Ireland. Furthermore, my analysis not only shows the extent to which abortion politics have shifted in Ireland in relation to the medical abortion phenomenon, but also provide important indications and potential warnings for how such politics might continue to unfold, even with the repeal of the Eighth amendment. Keywords: Medical abortion, feminist nationalism theory, affect theory, emotion, fear, shame, gender identity, national identity, intimate publics, agency. Resumen: En esta tesis defiendo la creación de un público íntimo a través de narrativas de miedo y vergüenza presentes en las informaciones elaboradas por los medios de comunicación irlandeses en torno al uso ilegal del aborto médico, informaciones que han provocado ansiedades histórico-culturales en torno al cuerpo de la mujer y al lugar de la familia en la sociedad al mismo tiempo que también han provisto de posibilidades nunca antes contempladas a la negociación de la autonomía y la agencia del cuerpo de las mujeres. A pesar de la extensa producción académica en teoría cultural sobre políticas de aborto y de género en Irlanda, ningún autor ha considerado cómo las narrativas nacionales del miedo y la vergüenza presentes en los medios han hecho del aborto médico el lugar para la reproducción de una identidad nacional y de género idealizadas. Del mismo modo, ninguna investigación ha considerado aún lo significativo del fenómeno del aborto médico como un momento transformador en la historia de las políticas del aborto en Irlanda. En mi tesis, rastreo el desarrollo y el incremento del uso CEU eTD Collection ilegal del aborto médico en Irlanda a través de informaciones sobre este tema provenientes de los medios de comunicación de entre 1985 y 2016, para ello utilizo teoría afectiva y teorías feministas sobre el nacionalismo. Con ellas, llevo a cabo una lectura crítica de textos de los años previos a las noticias sobre el incremento en el uso del aborto médico ilegal en Irlanda. Analizar cómo operan las emociones en este público íntimo me permite examinar construcciones de género previas y la iteración de un sentimiento nacional de pertenencia que reafirma las fantasías de la nación (re)productora. Atender a estos procesos, prestando especial atención a su relación con la (re)producción de normas nacionales, posibilita a su vez la deconstrucción de imperativos culturales en torno al género y la identidad nacional en Irlanda. i Mi análisis no sólo muestra el grado en el que las políticas sobre el aborto han cambiado en Irlanda a partir del fenómeno del aborto médico, sino que también indica las direcciones en las que estas políticas pueden continuar expandiéndose y alerta de riesgos potenciales, incluso tras la revocación de la Octava Enmienda. Palabras clave: Aborto farmacológico, teoría feminista sobre nacionalismo, teoría afectiva, emoción, miedo, vergüenza, identidad de género, identidad nacional, íntimos- públicos, agencia. CEU eTD Collection ii Acknowledgements This thesis proved an immensely difficult personal journey for me, but one I am happy I saw through to the end. Completing it would not have been possible without the patience, guidance and encouragement provided my by supervisor Hadley, and my second reader Adelina Sanchez Espinosa, who convinced me to pursue this topic. I also want to thank the people who supported me through my difficulties through solidarities expressed in emotional support, proofreading, and endless supplies of motivation and friendship. Particular thanks to my best friend and the most admirable activist I know, Clara, and also to Anna for the endless support you gave me. Thank you also to Debbie, Ashley, Sihame, Giselle and Florine, Ari, Mike, Ana and Alberto, whose support has been invaluable to me, and will forever be appreciated. CEU eTD Collection iii Declaration of Original Research and Word Count I hereby declare that this thesis is the result of original research; it contains no materials accepted for any other degree in any other institution and no materials previously written and/or published by another person, except where appropriate acknowledgment is made in the form of bibliographical reference. I further declare that the following word count for this thesis are accurate: Body of thesis (all chapters excluding notes, references, appendices, etc.): 32,585 words Entire manuscript: 37,641 words Signed ________________ Danielle Breslin CEU eTD Collection iv Table of Contents A Note on Terminology ............................................................................................................. 1 A Note on Northern Ireland ....................................................................................................... 2 A Note on the 8th Amendment .................................................................................................. 4 Introduction: “Women seeking an abortion turn to the internet rather than the boat to England” ..................................................................................................................................... 5 1. (Medical) Abortion politics, gender and national identity in literature............................ 10 1.1 Medical Abortion in Ireland in literature: A new phenomenon? ............................. 10 1.2 Abortion politics, gender and the reproduction of national identity: ....................... 16 2. Fear, shame and the (re)production of the (gendered) nation .......................................... 26 2.1 Intimate Publics: National belonging and Identities on the Margin......................... 28 2.2 Feminist theory on the Nation, Gender and Agency ................................................ 30 2.3 Affect theory and identity-formation ....................................................................... 35 2.3.1 Affect and/or emotion?......................................................................................... 37 2.3.2 Shame: Stigmatization, reintegration and absolving the nation ........................... 38 2.3.3 Fear: Threat, Vulnerability and the Preservation of Life Itself ............................ 44 3. Methodology .................................................................................................................... 49 3.1 Close textual reading the “emotionality of texts” .................................................... 49 3.2 Primary materials ..................................................................................................... 52 3.2 Organization of Primary Materials and Socio-political Shifts throughout the Period ... 59 3.2.1 Media from 1985 – 2004: ..................................................................................... 59 3.2.2 Media from 2004 - 2016....................................................................................... 60 3.3 Period of media silence on medical abortion use 1996 - 2004................................
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