Sexual Scripts on Campus after Dobbs

In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court repealed the landmark case of Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Among other states, Texas outlawed abortion, including pills, at any stage of pregnancy with narrow exceptions. I conducted in-depth interviews with 32 undergraduate students (including 18 women, 13 men, and 1 nonbinary participant) from a large, public university in Texas in early 2023, shortly following Dobbs , which meant some students had engaged in sexual activity before and after the statewide ban. I analyze the ways that students discuss their sexual choices in the immediate aftermath of Dobbs , focusing on how they decide: (1) whether or not to have sex, (2) with whom to have sex, and (3) contraceptive choices. Results indicate that many students claimed to adjust how they followed dominant hookup scripts in the wake of the abortion ban, including reportedly increased abstinence, avoidance of sex with cismen, preference for partners with similar abortion views, and increased condom use. Students’ reactions to the ban highlight how gender, sexuality, race, and political beliefs about abortion influence the ways in which students interpret and negotiate sexual scripts.