“A daily reminder of an ugly incident..." Examination of Discussions of Rape and Incest Exceptions in Personhood Abortion Bans 公开

Abstract

Introduction: Research has begun to examine legislative hearings and decision-making within “heartbeat” bills in the U.S. A divisive area within legislative hearings are rape and incest exceptions. This study examines arguments made by proponents and opponents of rape and incest exceptions within “heartbeat” ban legislation in the South.

Methods: Data included publicly available video archives from House, Senate, and committee meetings in six Southern states. Narrative analysis was conducted with testimony proponents and opponents to rape and incest exceptions during 2018 - 2019 legislative sessions. Data were open-coded and analyzed using a constant-comparative method for emergent theme identification.

Results: Themes emerged in arguments made by legislators to support or oppose rape and incest exceptions across multiple states, with extended discussions in South Carolina and Georgia. Opponents and proponents of exceptions differed in opinion about the involvement of medical and legal systems, and used beliefs and myths about women’s reporting of rape and incest to support their arguments. Arguments focused on trauma resulting from sexual violence, balancing the protection of women’s mental and physical health against protection of a fetus. Proponents used examples of familial relationships and calls for bipartisan action to draw upon colleagues’ morality and empathy. Support and opposition for rape and incest exceptions did not follow party lines.

Conclusions: This study seeks to deepen understanding of the strategies used by legislators to oppose rape and incest exceptions in abortion legislation while providing greater opportunity for tailored reproductive rights advocacy and policy.

Table of Contents

Literature Review………………….......1

Abortion…….……………………1

Exceptions……………………….5

Trauma & mental health….7

The medical system……..….8

Manuscript…………………………………10

Student contribution………10

Abstract………………………….11

Background…………………….12

Methods…………………………16

Results……………………………22

Discussion………………………40

Conclusions……………………45

References…………………….47

Public Health Implications…………53

References………………………………..56

Annex 1. Codebook…………………..59

About this Master's Thesis

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• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Hubert Department of Global Health
Degree	M.P.H.
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Gender Studies Health Sciences, Public Health
关键词	Policy Abortion Rape Legislation Incest
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Evans, Dabney, Emory University Narasimhan, Subasri, Emory University

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