Women’s reproductive health as ‘Biological Straitjacket’ in post-1880 Scotland

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

Abstract

In light of the recent rise in anti-abortion protests outside Scottish health facilities that provide abortion services, the campaign to introduce buffer zones – currently being debated in Holyrood as the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill – provides an opportunity to reflect on the historical continuum of how, and by whom, women’s bodies have been conceptualised and controlled. Coined by the Historian, Anne Digby, the ‘biological straitjacket’ evocatively captures historical attempts to pathologise and thereby control women’s bodies; by constructing theories that focused upon fragility and irrationality, particularly associated with their reproductive system, medicine has legitimised and reinforced women’s subordinate socio-economic position. This chapter will review those medical theories, and explore how they have served to inform perceptions and treatments of women in contemporary Scotland.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationConnecting Scotland
Subtitle of host publicationNew Perspectives on History, Politics and Culture
EditorsAngela Bartie, Ewan Gibbs, Scott Hames, Jenny Morrison
PublisherRoutledge
Number of pages9
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 9 Jan 2025

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