The Internationalist Archive
To safeguard the anonymity of the Anonymous Researcher, we have opted to conceal their personal background information.
For issue #52 of The Internationalist, editor Tanya Singh interviews Mexico-based Anonymous Researcher. Upon reading Anonymous Researcher’s auto-ethnographic study of abortion clinics in Mexico City, Singh sat down with them to discuss key elements of reproductive access in Mexico today, including the critical intersection of legal change and cultural perceptions in the struggle for reproductive rights.
Tanya: You've brought to light the distressing issue of obstetric violence, which continues despite the legalization of abortion in Mexico City, with young women often being subjected to condescension, moral policing and invasive questioning. How has this study shaped your views on reproductive rights and healthcare, especially for women, and how did it change your perception of choice and autonomy in reproductive health?
Anon: I have always supported the reproductive rights movement in my country, especially since 2019, when it gained momentum thanks to efforts coming from other Latin American countries, especially Argentina. However, over the years my understanding of these rights has become more complex. I used to believe that the struggle had to be won at the ballot box and in legislative spaces. Before I conducted my auto-ethnographic study and reviewed the existing literature, I had not wondered about the experiences of women who decided to exercise their right to an abortion. After having lived through it, I realized that the protection of this right must also be ensured in other spaces, especially in the healthcare system. As a result, I now believe that women's experiences provide key information for understanding the gap between what the legislation prescribes and what actually happens during these procedures. This experience also opened my understanding around the ability and autonomy to choose.
I believe this is what is at the heart of the struggle for reproductive rights: the power of our choice. However, this ability must be examined and understood in terms of the contexts that shape women's lives. Categories such as race and class contribute to delimiting the scope of our decisions about our own bodies. Therefore, we need to problematize the concept of "choice" in order to make it effective not only in the process of abortion but more broadly, in all decisions related to bodily autonomy, including the decision to have children.
Tanya: In your discussion of obstetric violence during abortion care, you touch upon the influence of cultural beliefs, stigma, and stereotypes. Additionally, you highlight how the legalization of abortion can create disparities based on place of birth, residence, and social class. How do you see these intersecting factors - cultural beliefs, socioeconomic status, and the legal landscape - shaping the experience of obstetric violence during abortions?
Anon: I believe that a key point in reproductive rights research and legislation is to understand the great diversity of abortion experiences. In countries like Mexico, where there is great inequality related to gender as well as socioeconomic status and ethnicity, we cannot assume that all women's experiences of abortion are the same. In contexts of greater vulnerability, women may not have the same access to information about the procedure they will undergo, or even to sex education based on scientific knowledge rather than prejudice. Contexts also have an impact on economic resources to be able to travel to a public clinic or to pay for a private clinic. All these factors affect the care we are given and our agency to respond to this treatment. However, I agree that it is a very complex issue. I think something that is very necessary is to shift from the struggle for abortion rights to the struggle for reproductive rights. The latter concept allows for a broader understanding of women's experiences and needs. In this sense, I believe that we must have a systematic knowledge of local experiences in order to be able to inform situated strategies that can respond to different contexts.
Tanya: Considering the recent Supreme Court decision in Mexico to decriminalize abortion, how do you envision the future of reproductive rights and healthcare in the country?
Anon: Fortunately, after the writing of the text, the legislation of other states in Mexico regarding abortion has changed favourably. However, the struggle remains complex. Experiences such as what happened in the United States remind us that the rights of women and other minorities are always at risk, and what has been won can easily be lost. The issue is very complex precisely because many elements converge in the current context. In this sense, changes must be made on many different fronts. However, I consider that changing public opinion on abortion is the key to this change. Abortion has to be seen as a medical procedure, and not a crime. This achievement requires much more than pro-choice legislation, although it is a very important step. If, regardless of what the law states, abortion continues to be seen as a crime, in which the life and rights of women have no place, the way in which this procedure takes place within the public service is unlikely to change. Therefore, we need to place other narratives in the public space as well.
Tanya: As I read your paper, I was struck by the sheer apathy and violent disregard that was offered to you and the other women in the clinic by medical practitioners. And you remained so powerfully determined even in such an abrasive environment. I was wondering if you have advice or a message to offer to individuals who might be in similar situations or who are advocating for reproductive rights in Mexico or elsewhere.
Anon: I think one of the greatest lessons that the writing of this paper has given me is the power of listening to other women. In keeping with the tenets of feminism, I am certain that bringing women's experiences to the center is essential. What also made the greatest difference in changing the way that I understood my own story was reading the stories of other women who had gone through similar experiences. Contrary to what patriarchal systems try to tell us, we are not unique cases; abortion is much more common than we think. Women abort despite the conditions we have to endure. Reading about other experiences made me realize that I was not alone, which gave me the courage to tell my story. Receiving companionship and validation by other women helped me understand and name what had happened to me. And my hope is that my experience can help other women make sense of what they have been through.
This is also key to the struggle for reproductive rights because it often happens that the discussions that take place in legislative or academic spaces, are far from what is really happening and from the real needs of women, especially in contexts of greater vulnerability.
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