Gretchen Sisson, PhD

Gretchen Sisson, PhD is a qualitative sociologist whose research focuses on social constructions of parenthood, specifically examining abortion and pregnancy decision-making, teen pregnancy and young parenthood, infertility and assisted reproductive technologies, and adoption and birth/first motherhood. She is the lead investigator for ANSIRH's Abortion Onscreen program, which examines the representation of abortion on American film and television, and the impact of such portrayals. Dr. Sisson also studies adoption within the context of the reproductive health and justice movements with her book forthcoming in 2024. She serves on the Boards of Directors for WDN Action (a sister organization of the Women Donors Network) and Emerge America. She received her BA from Amherst College and her PhD from Boston College.

Citations

Brooks JJ, Suresh S, Relova J, Radhakrishnan M, Liu C, Walter N, Sisson G, Herold S. A Content Analysis of Abortion Storylines on U.S. Streaming Services: Lessons from Narrative Persuasion. Media Psychology. January 2025; https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2025.2459289.
Herold S, Natalie Morris, MPH, Biggs MA, Schroeder R, Kaller S, Sisson G. Abortion pills on TV: An exploratory study of the associations between abortion plotline viewership and beliefs regarding in-clinic and self-managed medication abortion. Contraception. February 2024; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2024.110416.
Herold S, Becker A, Schroeder R, Sisson G. Exposure to Lived Representations of Abortion in Popular Television Program Plotlines on Abortion-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Support: An Exploratory Study. Sex Roles. January 2024; https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-024-01448-3.
Herold S, Sisson G. ‘I could see myself doing something like that’: US women’s engagement with characters who experience abortion, adoption and surrogacy on Little Fires Everywhere. Culture Health & Sexuality. August 2023; https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2023.2242436.
Herold S, Sisson G. “You can’t tell this story without abortion”: television creators on narrative intention and development of abortion stories on their shows. Communication, Culture and Critique. April 2023; https://doi.org/10.1093/ccc/tcad016.
Sisson G. Who are the women who relinquish infants for adoption? Domestic adoption and contemporary birth motherhood in the United States. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. May 2022; DOI: 10.1363/psrh.12193.
Sisson G, Walter N, Herold S, Brooks JJ. Prime-time abortion on Grey's Anatomy: What do US viewers learn from fictional portrayals of abortion on television?. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. September 2021; 1- 10. doi:10.1363/psrh.12183.
Sisson G. Estimating the annual domestic adoption rate and lifetime incidence of infant relinquishment in the United States. Contraception. August 2021; S0010-7824(21)00352-8. [Epub ahead of print].
Herold S, Sisson G, Renee Bracey Sherman. “I can’t believe your mixed ass wasn’t on the pill!”: race and abortion on American scripted television, 2008-2019. Feminist Media Studies. December 2020; DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2020.1856908.
Herold S, Sisson G. Abortion on American television: An update on recent portrayals, 2015-2019. Contraception. September 2020; 102(6):421-423.
Sisson G, Joffe C. Abortion Providers on Politically Engaging Patients. Women's Health Issues. April 2020; 30(2):106-112.
Herold S, Sisson G. Hangers, Potions, and Pills: Abortion Procedures on American Television, 2008 to 2018. Women's Health Issues. July 2019; 29(6):499-505.
Sisson G. From humor to horror: genre and narrative purpose in abortion stories on American television. Feminist Media Studies. December 2017; 19(2):239-256.
Sisson G, Herold S, Woodruff K. “The stakes are so high”: interviews with progressive journalists reporting on abortion. Contraception. September 2017; 96(6):395-400.
Sisson G, Herold S. “The stakes are so high”: Journalists Reporting on Abortion. National Abortion Federation Annual Meeting. August 2017.
Sisson G, Ralph LJ, Gould H, Foster DG. Adoption Decision Making among Women Seeking Abortion. Women's Health Issues. March 2017; 27(2):136-144.
Sisson G, Kimport K. Depicting abortion access on American television, 2005–2015. Feminism & Psychology. February 2017; 27(1):56-71.
Sisson G, Herndon R. Best-practice recommendations for adoption planning and placement in the healthcare setting. Women's Healthcare. February 2017; Vol. 5 No. 1.
Sisson G, Kimport K. Doctors and Witches, Conscience and Violence: Abortion Provision on American Television. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. December 2016; 48(4):161-168.
Sisson G, Kimport K. Facts and fictions: Characters seeking abortion on American television, 2005–2014. Contraception. May 2016; 93(5):446-51.
Sisson G, Kimport K. After Tiller: the impact of a documentary film on understandings of third-trimester abortion. Culture Health & Sexuality. December 2015; 18(6):695-709.
Gubrium AC, Mann ES, Borrero S, Dehlendorf C, Fields J, Geronimus AT, Gomez AM, Harris LH, Higgins JA, Kimport K, Luker K, Luna Z, Mamo L, Roberts D, Romero D, Sisson G. Realizing Reproductive Health Equity Needs More Than Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC). American Journal of Public Health. September 2015; 106(1):18-19.
Sisson G. 'Choosing Life': Birth mothers on abortion and reproductive choice. Women's Health Issues. July 2015; 24(4):349-354.
Sisson G, Kimport K. Telling stories about abortion: abortion-related plots in American film and television, 1916–2013. Contraception. May 2014; 89(5):413-8.
Sisson G. Finding a Way to Offer Something More: Reframing Teen Pregnancy Prevention. Journal of Sexuality Research and Social Policy. March 2012; 9(1):57-69.