Abstract
Abortion is an under-researched, sensitive and politicised topic, but in the New Zealand context, there is a conspicuous dearth of exploratory research on Indigenous (Māori) perspectives on abortion, despite some indication that Māori seek abortion services. International research that attends to the socio-cultural context of abortion evidences a fascinating variability of perspectives and attitudes about abortion, with some commonalities and patterns of resistance. Within accounts of Māori historical practice of abortion, there is some evidence of variability, and we sought to better understand the contemporary socio-cultural context surrounding Māori perspectives on abortion. As part of an Indigenous feminist (Mana Wāhine) interview study with 43 participants (26 women, 17 men), thematic analysis of participants’ talk about abortion identified notions regarding “protection of a new life”, “woman’s individual choice”, and “extended family investment and support” as foregrounded themes. We describe a rich and nuanced account of Māori perspectives on abortion, describing how these are structurally embedded within particular socio-historical and socio-cultural contexts, including Māori ideologies and theories, colonisation and Christianity, and women’s rights activism.
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