The Problem with “Justifying” Abortion: Why Real Reproductive Justice Cannot Be Achieved by Theorizing the Legitimacy of Abortion

Abstract

This is a commentary on Adair and Lozano’s (2021) article “Adaptive choice: Psychological Perspectives on Abortion and Reproductive Freedom.” We offer a critique of its underlying premise that abortion must be justified, identifying three substantive concerns. Then, we outline a better way to study abortion, one that draws on feminist and reproductive justice scholarship by: centering the lived experience of real people and their needs; holding that it is a fundamental human right of people to reproduce if and when they desire; and conducting research that benefits people, with a focus on those who are socially marginalized.