I am part of a collective of researchers and activists dedicated to reproductive autonomy and the demedicalisation of abortion in Australia.

Dr Anna Noonan and I co-developed a framework to guide the collective’s work based on the following principles:

Shifting power

We work to shift power in abortion care by looking for answers outside systems and structures of oppression. We seek to influence institutions and traditional approaches to healthcare by diversifying how and by whom abortion care can be given.

Centring autonomy

People who have abortions are at the centre of our research. We foreground their experiences, needs, and self-determination, taking into account diverse contexts and barriers to access so people can seek care on their own terms.

Reimagining abortion publics and discourses

We take an expansive view of abortion publics - the many individuals and groups of people who seek and obtain abortion care - and abortion discourses. We aim to create space for new narratives and forms of participation that are free from stigma, reductionism and paternalism.

Research as collective resistance

We are committed to research as a tool for active and collective resistance, valuing process as much as outcomes. We value critical and personal reflection about our own roles within systems of racism, colonialism, sexism and ableism. We are conscious of the limitations of our expertise and do not seek to speak for others.