History and contemporaneity of elective abortion and the stigmatization processes directed towards the actors involved

Abstract

Elective abortion is a long-standing phenomenon, and due to its long history, along the centuries several aspects of it have changed, such as the ethical connotations, its regulations as well as the social actors involved. In this regard, the present paper will aim to define the socio-cultural trajectory of elective abortion, from the harsh repression to its de-penalization at the end of the ‘60s. Another aim of the paper is to reflect upon the effects that the law has had on the occurrence of the stigma of the social actors involved in the abortion phenomenon, concerning, in particular, the women who interrupt their pregnancy and the physicians who practice it.