‘How am I supposed to feel?’ Deconstructing Abortion Decisions in Austria

The paper contributes to policy scholarship on empowerment by examining the structural dimensions of individual decisions on reproductive justice. It delves into Austria's distinct situation, where abortion is deliberately stigmatized and criminalized under §96 of the Criminal Code. Unlike more liberal legislations, Austria imposes strict time limits and conditions for abortion, and the public debate around the issue is much impacted by conservative policy actors as well as the Church, which has a prominent position in the Austrian political landscape. This distinctive context highlights the challenges faced by women in Austria, forcing them to make quick decisions amid enduring uncertainty. They often feel abandoned by the policy setting and experience stigma driven by the political landscape. Our analysis focuses on the individual decision-making process of pregnant individuals, with a particular emphasis on the emotions expressed during this critical period. We aim to understand the resources and structures that pregnant people mobilize in this decision-making process and examine the emotions involved, considering how they are both limited and influenced by the Austrian policy setting. Based on ten in-depth interviews with individuals who underwent abortions in Austria under the current legal situation, the analysis provides insights into how these individuals enacted and embedded their decisions. By doing so, the paper contributes to the scholarship on reproductive justice by highlighting the heuristic value of emotions. We elucidate how individual decisions are embedded in social and political structures, conceptualizing emotions as both enabling and constraining these dimensions. The results illuminate how socially and culturally adopted norms are individualized through specific decisions, highlighting the societal resources of empowerment and self-determination.