Benedetta Lusi, Geke Ludden, Anna Vallgarda
The World Health Organization estimates that worldwide, 73 million legal abortions occur annually, sparking intense ethical and legislative debates. However, care and mental well-being related to abortion receive far less attention. As more people choose at-home abortions, it's crucial for designers and HCI research to work on self-care practices, rituals and tools around abortion. In this project, we focused on mental well-being and abortion self-care with the goal of cultivating caring spaces for self-management after abortion.
Even in countries where abortion is legal, access to resources can be limited, and advocating for them can be difficult, creating barriers to care. To explore self-care practices around abortion, we interviewed social workers and researchers in the field and drew from abortion experiences in books and online story collections.
How can design address the controversial, intimate and delicate space of abortion care?
This project falls within the realm of designing for sensitive, controversial, and intimate spaces, specifically addressing the complexities of abortion. Building on the abortion-as-life-event theory, we recognize that abortion can be a source of both relief and stress. For some, it alleviates the burden of an unwanted pregnancy, while for others, it may trigger stress and adverse emotional reactions. Our work is particularly focused on those who find the experience challenging and seek support. Instead of traditional investigative approaches, we adopted narratives of care, utilizing metaphors to thoughtfully engage with the abortion experience. We view abortion not as a problem-to-be-solved but as a significant life event that warrants exploration and compassionate support. With this approach, we aimed to create a design space that respects the diverse experiences of individuals.
We contribute to designing for abortion care by exploring how design research can support mental well-being in this sensitive space. We employed a metaphor-led design process, creating a care package of language agents to encourage self-reflection and shared experiences. We reflect on how metaphors informed the design, navigating the complexities of abortion care. Our approach emphasizes diverse perspectives and aims to foster understanding within culturally delicate contexts. Moving forward, we plan to refine this care package with professionals and individuals with abortion experiences and to collaborate with organizations in reproductive care and mental health. We believe this metaphor-led approach has broader applications, potentially extending to areas like assisted reproduction, pregnancy loss, and end-of-life care.
