*1 NEW NOTIFICATION*: SOCIAL MEDIA MISCONCEPTIONS AROUND TRIBAL ABORTION PROVISIONS AND INDIGENOUS METHODS OF REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE AS PRAXIS

Abstract

My thesis discusses the cultural and social misconceptions of possible tribal abortion provision by social media users in a post Roe setting. Through the analysis of social media posts and further the ideologies expressed by users on Facebook, my project breaks down the meaning and value assigned to Indigenous women regarding their reproductive actions. This assignment of both negative and positive value includes the perception of “proper” motherhood, acts of abortion or miscarriage, and forced sterilization through eugenic pseudoscience. In response to social media discourse and misrepresentations of abortion ideology towards Indigenous women, tribal communities themselves establish projects on social media to discuss thriving and community care such as support for the Indian Child Welfare Act and public education on cradle boarding. Overall, my thesis discusses the harmful implications of assumed tribal abortion provision by misinformed social media users and the methods of reproductive justice Indigenous users have developed to combat them.