
Demonstration outside the Norwegian Parliament in 1975. Photo: NTB
Self-determined abortion
This is a master thesis in service and systems oriented design at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design 2014
Candidate: Frida Almqvist
The project language is Norwegian
The project lies at the intersection between service- and system-oriented design.
A historic struggle led to women in Norway today having the right to self-determined abortion. There are two abortion methods, surgical intervention and medical (with pills). The most common today is medical abortion. Research indicates that most women are most satisfied with a medical abortion at home. (Kero, Lalos & Wulff, 2010). In Norway, women’s right to an abortion is secured by law. In light of the fact that women in Norway have this right, my aim has not been to enter the abortion debate, but to examine how today’s healthcare services color the woman’s experience of having an abortion.
The chosen focus area for the project is the situation in Norway. The area that has been examined is from the time when the woman decides to have an abortion, and on to follow-up also after the procedure. The first meeting the woman has with the system as an unplanned pregnancy has also been important to the process. At the same time, I would like to point out that I have not looked at the election situation itself.