Dr. Gilda Sedgh:

The presence or prevalence of stigma tends to be aligned with the presence of restrictive abortion laws so we cannot fully disentangle the roles of the two. There are some countries where abortion is legal on broad grounds but still stigmatised, including Italy, for example. In other countries, like South Africa for example, the grounds for legal abortion have been expanded but it is still stigmatised.

Stigma has prevented women from having access to abortion services where providers are allowed to invoke conscientious objection and mechanisms are not put in place to ensure women nevertheless have access to alternative sources of care. A literature review has brought together 14 studies of the effects of stigma on women who have had an abortion, which is not to say it has prevented them from seeking an abortion. Some of the summary findings of the review are that women who have abortions in these settings feel socially isolated, are afraid their loved ones will find out they had an abortion and suffer stress for these reasons.