Feminist buttons at an activist event, Dublin, 2019
Pills & Protest: Abortion Access in Ireland (2017 - 2022)
My research on the politics of abortion in Ireland examined how the creative use of medication abortion by activists, as both a means of access in the wait for legal change and as a medium for protest against on-going abortion bans, had far-reaching impacts on reproductive politics even after abortion was legalized. Drawing on three years of ethnographic research with feminist activists and abortion providers in the Republic of Ireland, I document how activist engagement with medical technologies can fundamentally shift the practice of medicine.
This research was supported by the National Science Foundation, CUNY Doctoral Student Research Grants, the Sue Rosenberg Zalk Travel Grant, and the Louise Lennihan Arts & Sciences Grant.
Publications:
2025. Pills & Protest: Abortion Access in Ireland. Bloomsbury Academic.
2023.“Technologies of Protest in Irish Abortion Activism”. Feminist Anthropology 4(1): 115-131.
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Pro-choice graffiti! Cork, 2017.
Roundtable discussion about solidarities of reproductive rights struggles across the US and Ireland. NYC, 2019.
Reproductive Justice & Interstate Solidarity in Post-Roe New York State (2023 - 2025)
My current research examines how New York state has been impacted by the influx of out-of-state abortion-seekers in the wake of the Dobbs decision in 2022. I situate this moment in a long history of New York being seen nationally as a “sanctuary” state for reproductive rights, including pre-Roe, while at the same time continuing to face barriers to access within its own borders for the most marginalized New Yorkers. I am exploring tensions around crisis, futurity, scarcity, and meanings of justice within social movements and healthcare provision. Ethnographic and qualitative research with abortion funds, practical support organizations, and clinic staff began in 2024 and is on-going. Advanced undergraduate student research assistants are being trained in qualitative data analysis through involvement in this project.
Presenting research about the increase in “DIY abortion” discourse in US media since 2016. MIT, 2017.
I believe in translating and connecting academic research to real-world change. You can find me on the TikTok app sharing research and education about anthropology, feminism, and self-managed abortion (@paigingbrenna).
…agus tá cúpla focail Gaeilge agam. (And I speak a few words of Irish!)
CONSULTING
Additionally, my training in qualitative research and data analysis has led me to work in applied anthropology for government health agencies, non-profit organizations, social media campaigns, and the pharmaceutical industry - I am occasionally available for consulting projects!
Reach out at brenna.mccaffrey(at)gmail(dot)com for inquiries.