Fiona Bloomer
Biographic Data
| ID | 4097976 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Fiona Bloomer |
| GIVEN NAMES | Fiona |
| FAMILY NAME | Bloomer |
| SIGNATURE | BLOOMER F |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Ulster |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3347-6403 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 19 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 12 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 17 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Framing a Feminist Abortion
With reproductive health and rights actively under attack, it is critical to support researcher and activist communities in pushing beyond basic access. In this article we propose a framework for a “feminist abortion,” which, rather than positioning medico-legal framings as the sole or foremost consideration, sets out aspirations for a model of abortion care that centers the pregnant person and their needs and attends to the power structures thro…
Women’s experiences of needing abortion care whilst incarcerated
For Some Reason, She Just Wasn’t Able to Have an Abortion”
Liberal abortion laws are crucial to the freedom of reproductive decision-making. However, even in countries like Iceland, which have high levels of gender equality and liberal abortion policies, women often feel constrained by socio-political rhetoric and traditional attitudes about motherhood. This paper examines the association between reproductive choice and potential regret in motherhood. Through in-depth interviews with 35 individuals in Ic…
Gender, nation and reproduction in the afterward of repeal and decriminalisation
Until 2019, abortion was illegal, with little exception, on both parts of the island of Ireland with the laws dating from the Offences Against the Person Act (1861) , a vestige of British colonial law. However, in each country, very different approaches changed the law. In the Republic of Ireland, the process involved a Citizens Assembly, a government committee and a referendum of all citizens. In Northern Ireland, as the Northern Ireland Assembl…
Healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards the termination of pregnancy
Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in October 2019. Following decriminalisation, the new regulations set out legal provision for abortion up until 12 weeks, with conditions thereafter. This cross-sectional descriptive survey, conducted in late 2019 in Northern Ireland, gathered the views of health professionals on decriminalisation, and their willingness to provide abortion services. This article provides a thematic analysis of answe…
Social connectedness and supported self-management of early medication abortion in the UK
Medication abortion has been established globally as safe and effective. This modality has increased accessibility and the opportunity to centre individual autonomy at the heart of abortion care, by facilitating self-managed abortion. Previous research has shown how self-managed abortion is beneficial in myriad settings ranging from problematic to (relatively) unproblematic contexts of access. In this paper we explore the relationship between sel…
Competing framings of abortion in the Northern Ireland Assembly and Westminster
Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in October 2019. This historic change was introduced by the UK Parliament following lengthy activist campaigns, national and international inquiries, and regional and national court cases. This paper focuses on two legislatures, the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the UK Parliament, examining the role played by each in how decriminalisation was achieved. Tracing efforts dating back to the introductio…
The workplace as a site of abortion surveillance
Analysis of the experiences and resulting inequalities in reproductive health in the workplace has generated studies of pregnancy, miscarriage, menstruation, fertility and menopause. One issue that has remained outside of this literature is abortion. How abortion is talked about (or not talked about), experienced and perceived as a workplace issue were the central questions in our research undertaken in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Irelan…
Faith voices resisting anti-abortion norms
Little is known about how, in conservative societies, people of faith who support access to abortion, transgress spaces that assume anti-abortion values and norms. This qualitative study, set in Northern Ireland, seeks to identify how prochoice persons of faith transgress dominant religious positions, through the application of a Foucauldian feminist framework. Regulation of abortion in Northern Ireland vis-à-vis the UK is, and always has been, t…
Decriminalizing Abortion in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland stands out as having enacted historical positive change in abortion law, from an almost complete ban in the 20th century to the decriminalization achieved in 2019. This book documents and analyzes how this historical change was achieved. Each chapter is written by those directly involved in the long-fought battle to change abortion law — including those with personal experience of seeking abortions, activists, academics, legal ex…
Decriminalizing Abortion in Northern Ireland
Abortion remains one of the most politicized issues globally and whilst some countries such as the USA continue to experience restrictions to access to abortion, Northern Ireland stands out as having enacted historical positive change in abortion law, from an almost complete ban throughout the Twentieth Century to decriminalization achieved in 2019. This book documents and analyzes how this historical change was achieved. This, the second of two …
After a Cedaw Optional Protocol Inquiry into abortion law
Liberalisation of abortion laws are often presented in public and academic discourse as the end of a struggle. Northern Ireland may be showcased as a success story with decriminalization of abortion happening in 2019, after an inquiry by the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) found grave and systemic breaches of women’s rights and subsequent intervention from the Westminster Parliament changed the law. However, …
Interrogating the politicization of female genital cutting (FGC) within conditions of asymmetrical cultural convergence. A case study of Northern Ireland
Toward normalising abortion
In most settings worldwide, abortion continues to be highly stigmatised. Whilst a considerable body of literature has addressed abortion stigma, what is less commonly examined are the ways in which those with experience of abortion describe it in non-negative terms which may resist or reject stigma. Drawing on qualitative secondary analysis of five UK datasets using a narrative inquiry approach, we explore: the use of non-negative language around…
Reflecting on asynchronous internet mediated focus groups for researching culturally sensitive issues
Internet-mediated focus groups (FGs) have become a feature of qualitative research over the last decade; however, their use within social sciences has been adopted at a slower pace than other disciplines. This paper considers the advantages and disadvantages of internet-mediated FGs and reflects on their use for researching culturally sensitive issues. It reports on an innovative study, which utilised text-based asynchronous internet-mediated FGs…
Breaking the silence on abortion
Meanings of abortion in society are constructed within sociohistorical and gendered spaces and manifested through myriad discourses that impact on the perception and treatment of the issue in that society. In societies with powerful oppressive anti-abortion norms, such as Northern Ireland, little is known as to how these norms are resisted by the adult population. This study uses a Foucauldian feminist approach to show how resistance to religious…
Restricted access to abortion in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland
Access to abortion remains a controversial issue worldwide. In Ireland, both north and south, legal restrictions have resulted in thousands of women travelling to England and Wales and further afield to obtain abortions in the last decade alone, while others purchase the 'abortion pill' from Internet sources. This paper considers the socio-legal context in both jurisdictions, the data on those travelling to access abortion and the barriers to leg…
Critiquing recent abortion law and policy in Northern Ireland
The lack of a clear and accessible law specifically outlining when abortion is legal in Northern Ireland has led to confusion and misinformation among the public, health professionals, politicians, lobby groups and the media. Hard won Departmental Guidance and legal challenges to it provide evidence of religious and cultural bias at an institutional level against abortion in any circumstances. The introduction of Northern Ireland’s first private …
The adequacy of Traveller education in Northern Ireland
The issues facing Travellers, including those associated with education are often linked to social exclusion, widespread disadvantage and discrimination (Reynolds, McCartan, and Knipe 2003). The Office for Standards in Education (Office for Standards in Education 1999) referred to Gypsy Traveller pupils as ‘the most at risk in the education system.’ Within this article issues pertaining to Traveller education are discussed and in particular acces…
Reflecting on asynchronous internet mediated focus groups for researching culturally sensitive issues
Internet-mediated focus groups (FGs) have become a feature of qualitative research over the last decade; however, their use within social sciences has been adopted at a slower pace than other disciplines. This paper considers the advantages and disadvantages of internet-mediated FGs and reflects on their use for researching culturally sensitive issues. It reports on an innovative study, which utilised text-based asynchronous internet-mediated FGs…
Critiquing recent abortion law and policy in Northern Ireland
The lack of a clear and accessible law specifically outlining when abortion is legal in Northern Ireland has led to confusion and misinformation among the public, health professionals, politicians, lobby groups and the media. Hard won Departmental Guidance and legal challenges to it provide evidence of religious and cultural bias at an institutional level against abortion in any circumstances. The introduction of Northern Ireland’s first private …
Gender, nation and reproduction in the afterward of repeal and decriminalisation
Until 2019, abortion was illegal, with little exception, on both parts of the island of Ireland with the laws dating from the Offences Against the Person Act (1861) , a vestige of British colonial law. However, in each country, very different approaches changed the law. In the Republic of Ireland, the process involved a Citizens Assembly, a government committee and a referendum of all citizens. In Northern Ireland, as the Northern Ireland Assembl…
The workplace as a site of abortion surveillance
Analysis of the experiences and resulting inequalities in reproductive health in the workplace has generated studies of pregnancy, miscarriage, menstruation, fertility and menopause. One issue that has remained outside of this literature is abortion. How abortion is talked about (or not talked about), experienced and perceived as a workplace issue were the central questions in our research undertaken in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Irelan…
Faith voices resisting anti-abortion norms
Little is known about how, in conservative societies, people of faith who support access to abortion, transgress spaces that assume anti-abortion values and norms. This qualitative study, set in Northern Ireland, seeks to identify how prochoice persons of faith transgress dominant religious positions, through the application of a Foucauldian feminist framework. Regulation of abortion in Northern Ireland vis-à-vis the UK is, and always has been, t…
The adequacy of Traveller education in Northern Ireland
The issues facing Travellers, including those associated with education are often linked to social exclusion, widespread disadvantage and discrimination (Reynolds, McCartan, and Knipe 2003). The Office for Standards in Education (Office for Standards in Education 1999) referred to Gypsy Traveller pupils as ‘the most at risk in the education system.’ Within this article issues pertaining to Traveller education are discussed and in particular acces…
The adequacy of Traveller education in Northern Ireland
The issues facing Travellers, including those associated with education are often linked to social exclusion, widespread disadvantage and discrimination (Reynolds, McCartan, and Knipe 2003). The Office for Standards in Education (Office for Standards in Education 1999) referred to Gypsy Traveller pupils as ‘the most at risk in the education system.’ Within this article issues pertaining to Traveller education are discussed and in particular acces…
Restricted access to abortion in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland
Access to abortion remains a controversial issue worldwide. In Ireland, both north and south, legal restrictions have resulted in thousands of women travelling to England and Wales and further afield to obtain abortions in the last decade alone, while others purchase the 'abortion pill' from Internet sources. This paper considers the socio-legal context in both jurisdictions, the data on those travelling to access abortion and the barriers to leg…
Critiquing recent abortion law and policy in Northern Ireland
The lack of a clear and accessible law specifically outlining when abortion is legal in Northern Ireland has led to confusion and misinformation among the public, health professionals, politicians, lobby groups and the media. Hard won Departmental Guidance and legal challenges to it provide evidence of religious and cultural bias at an institutional level against abortion in any circumstances. The introduction of Northern Ireland’s first private …
Breaking the silence on abortion
Meanings of abortion in society are constructed within sociohistorical and gendered spaces and manifested through myriad discourses that impact on the perception and treatment of the issue in that society. In societies with powerful oppressive anti-abortion norms, such as Northern Ireland, little is known as to how these norms are resisted by the adult population. This study uses a Foucauldian feminist approach to show how resistance to religious…
Interrogating the politicization of female genital cutting (FGC) within conditions of asymmetrical cultural convergence. A case study of Northern Ireland
Toward normalising abortion
In most settings worldwide, abortion continues to be highly stigmatised. Whilst a considerable body of literature has addressed abortion stigma, what is less commonly examined are the ways in which those with experience of abortion describe it in non-negative terms which may resist or reject stigma. Drawing on qualitative secondary analysis of five UK datasets using a narrative inquiry approach, we explore: the use of non-negative language around…
Reflecting on asynchronous internet mediated focus groups for researching culturally sensitive issues
Internet-mediated focus groups (FGs) have become a feature of qualitative research over the last decade; however, their use within social sciences has been adopted at a slower pace than other disciplines. This paper considers the advantages and disadvantages of internet-mediated FGs and reflects on their use for researching culturally sensitive issues. It reports on an innovative study, which utilised text-based asynchronous internet-mediated FGs…
Decriminalizing Abortion in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland stands out as having enacted historical positive change in abortion law, from an almost complete ban in the 20th century to the decriminalization achieved in 2019. This book documents and analyzes how this historical change was achieved. Each chapter is written by those directly involved in the long-fought battle to change abortion law — including those with personal experience of seeking abortions, activists, academics, legal ex…
Decriminalizing Abortion in Northern Ireland
Abortion remains one of the most politicized issues globally and whilst some countries such as the USA continue to experience restrictions to access to abortion, Northern Ireland stands out as having enacted historical positive change in abortion law, from an almost complete ban throughout the Twentieth Century to decriminalization achieved in 2019. This book documents and analyzes how this historical change was achieved. This, the second of two …
After a Cedaw Optional Protocol Inquiry into abortion law
Liberalisation of abortion laws are often presented in public and academic discourse as the end of a struggle. Northern Ireland may be showcased as a success story with decriminalization of abortion happening in 2019, after an inquiry by the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) found grave and systemic breaches of women’s rights and subsequent intervention from the Westminster Parliament changed the law. However, …
The workplace as a site of abortion surveillance
Analysis of the experiences and resulting inequalities in reproductive health in the workplace has generated studies of pregnancy, miscarriage, menstruation, fertility and menopause. One issue that has remained outside of this literature is abortion. How abortion is talked about (or not talked about), experienced and perceived as a workplace issue were the central questions in our research undertaken in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Irelan…
Faith voices resisting anti-abortion norms
Little is known about how, in conservative societies, people of faith who support access to abortion, transgress spaces that assume anti-abortion values and norms. This qualitative study, set in Northern Ireland, seeks to identify how prochoice persons of faith transgress dominant religious positions, through the application of a Foucauldian feminist framework. Regulation of abortion in Northern Ireland vis-à-vis the UK is, and always has been, t…
Healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards the termination of pregnancy
Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in October 2019. Following decriminalisation, the new regulations set out legal provision for abortion up until 12 weeks, with conditions thereafter. This cross-sectional descriptive survey, conducted in late 2019 in Northern Ireland, gathered the views of health professionals on decriminalisation, and their willingness to provide abortion services. This article provides a thematic analysis of answe…
Social connectedness and supported self-management of early medication abortion in the UK
Medication abortion has been established globally as safe and effective. This modality has increased accessibility and the opportunity to centre individual autonomy at the heart of abortion care, by facilitating self-managed abortion. Previous research has shown how self-managed abortion is beneficial in myriad settings ranging from problematic to (relatively) unproblematic contexts of access. In this paper we explore the relationship between sel…
Competing framings of abortion in the Northern Ireland Assembly and Westminster
Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in October 2019. This historic change was introduced by the UK Parliament following lengthy activist campaigns, national and international inquiries, and regional and national court cases. This paper focuses on two legislatures, the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the UK Parliament, examining the role played by each in how decriminalisation was achieved. Tracing efforts dating back to the introductio…
Women’s experiences of needing abortion care whilst incarcerated
For Some Reason, She Just Wasn’t Able to Have an Abortion”
Liberal abortion laws are crucial to the freedom of reproductive decision-making. However, even in countries like Iceland, which have high levels of gender equality and liberal abortion policies, women often feel constrained by socio-political rhetoric and traditional attitudes about motherhood. This paper examines the association between reproductive choice and potential regret in motherhood. Through in-depth interviews with 35 individuals in Ic…
Gender, nation and reproduction in the afterward of repeal and decriminalisation
Until 2019, abortion was illegal, with little exception, on both parts of the island of Ireland with the laws dating from the Offences Against the Person Act (1861) , a vestige of British colonial law. However, in each country, very different approaches changed the law. In the Republic of Ireland, the process involved a Citizens Assembly, a government committee and a referendum of all citizens. In Northern Ireland, as the Northern Ireland Assembl…
Framing a Feminist Abortion
With reproductive health and rights actively under attack, it is critical to support researcher and activist communities in pushing beyond basic access. In this article we propose a framework for a “feminist abortion,” which, rather than positioning medico-legal framings as the sole or foremost consideration, sets out aspirations for a model of abortion care that centers the pregnant person and their needs and attends to the power structures thro…
Sociology (17 works) · Abortion (15 works) · Political science (13 works) · Law (12 works) · Reproductive Health and Contraception (12 works) · Pregnancy (9 works) · Law (8 works) · Population (8 works) · Gender Studies (7 works) · Northern ireland (7 works)