Psychology

Perceived Impact of the Overturning of Roe v. Wade on Queer Parents’ Reproductive and Sexual Lives

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Introduction: The current mixed-methods study examined the perceived consequences of the Dobbs decision from the perspective of members of the LGBTQ + community (e.g., bisexual women partnered with men) who may be at elevated risk of unintended pregnancy. Little research has addressed the psychological experiences of and perceived consequences of the Dobbs decision, which eliminated the constitutional right to abortion, among LGBTQ + people. Our findings offer insights into how the decision impacts LGBTQ + peoples’ sexual, reproductive, and parenting lives across the U.S. Methods: Using a mixed-methods online survey, data were collected from 99 LGBTQ + adults who were assigned female at birth (AFAB) and had at least one young child, in the spring of 2023. Data were analyzed using chi-square statistics and qualitative thematic analysis. Results: Findings revealed mostly negative reactions to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, concerns about reproductive and sexual healthcare, and perceived impacts of Dobbs on future plans (e.g., childbearing and where to live). Concerns were often heightened for those in abortion-hostile states compared to those in abortion-protected states. For example, participants in abortion-hostile states were significantly more worried about unintended pregnancy, access to contraception, access to reproductive and sexual healthcare providers, and access to in vitro fertilization. Conclusions: Guided by a structural stigma framework, we found that LGBTQ + people—located in both abortion-friendly and abortion-hostile states—offered a range of perspectives regarding their feelings about and perceived consequences of the Dobbs decision. Those who lived in more structurally stigmatizing contexts tended to voice more intense responses (e.g., terror). Policy Implications: Our findings hold implications for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers who work with LGBTQ + people and other marginalized groups who may be experiencing threats to their reproductive agency. Our participants’ perspectives are illuminating and grant policymakers first-person accounts of the psychological experiences associated with national changes in abortion and reproductive health policy.

Publication Title

Sexuality Research and Social Policy

Publication Date

2024

ISSN

1868-9884

DOI

10.1007/s13178-024-01032-0

Keywords

abortion rights, LGBTQ +, mixed-methods research, policy, reproductive and sexual health, Roe v. Wade, structural stigma

Cross Post Location

Student Publications

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