What Is Disenfranchised Pregnancy?

Disenfranchised pregnancy (DP) refers to reproductive experience(s) that cannot be acknowledged openly due to social stigma, taboo, deviation from the typical narrative, unconventional circumstances, or other marginalizing factors. The term “disenfranchised pregnancy” is a nod to Dr. Ken Doka’s term “disenfranchised grief,” which speaks more broadly to grief and loss experiences that are socially taboo or marginalized.

Examples of DP may include:

  • Pregnancy from rape
  • Pregnancy from sexual exploitation
  • Childhood pregnancy
  • Pregnancy from incest
  • Surrogacy
  • First/birth/biological parenthood
  • Undocumented pregnancy or birth in a high-control situation
  • Abortion or birth in a non-medical setting
  • Abortion in areas with an anti-abortion culture

What Is Disenfranchised Infant and Child Loss?

Disenfranchised infant and child loss (DICL) involves the loss of a fetus, infant, or child that cannot be acknowledged openly due to social stigma, taboo, deviation from the typical narrative, unconventional circumstances, or other marginalizing factors.

Examples of DICL may include:

  • Loss of children to the legal or foster system
  • Losing a child to adoption
  • Separation from a child who one raised due to parentification
  • Grieving a fetus/baby after an abortion
  • Loss of a child through unsolved or uninvestigated murder
  • Being forced to leave a child behind to escape a high-control relationship, situation, or group

Who Coined the Term “Disenfranchised Pregnancy?”

The owner of the Disenfranchised Pregnancy Project, Maya, first used the term in the title for a support group for survivors of exploitation with marginalized reproductive and infant/child loss experiences at YAMT, Inc. At the time, she was volunteering in the anti-trafficking sector and finishing up her undergraduate studies in the humanities. Through her undergraduate research, she noticed a gap in anti-trafficking discourse regarding the intersectionalities of reproductive healthcare, parenting, and exploitation.

What Do We Do?

  • Raising Awareness
  • Training
  • Advocacy
  • Support Groups
  • Virtual Open Mics
  • And more!