Coercion Is at the Heart of Social Conservatives’ Reproductive Health Agenda
Joerg Dreweke, Guttmacher Institute
First published online: February 7, 2018
HIGHLIGHTS
Coercive intent and practices are at the core of social conservatives’ reproductive health agenda, including virtually every reproductive health–related initiative from the Trump administration and social conservatives in Congress over the past year.
Coercion can take many forms, including withholding information, obstructing access to health services or providers, attempting to ban services outright and empowering third parties to impose their views on others.
Such coercive measures particularly target people who are in vulnerable positions, for instance because of their immigration status, youth or lack of financial resources.