The Abject, the Silence and the Crime: Intricacies of Abortion in Iran

Abstract The author uses Kristeva’s concept of “abject” to explain the disgust, horror, and hatred toward woman’s internal organs, experienced by both men and women. The abject marks the moment when we separate ourselves from the mother. It is where we are confronted with an archaic space before linguistic binaries of self/other or subject/object. Patriarchy is conceptualized as a defense against the abject. The silence of Iranian women and the defensive criminalization of abortion by Iranian men are discussed through examining the family dynamics and power differentials within an Iranian household. The author postulates how “Name of the Mother” replaces Lacan’s “Name of the Father” out of the necessity of managing patriarchy.