Biopower and biodata : exploring the security implications for women in a post Roe v. Wade era in the USA

Abstract

This thesis aims to map out how abortion as a case in the USA can present a good opportunity to study biodata security in the jurisdictional environment of the country after the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Some research questions have been set up to guide this analysis into the subject of security, the digital arena, and biopower of the state. The digital arena is a vital part of the analysis and presents some difficulties as well as some opportunities for international relations theorizing. The main sample of choice has been Texas because of the conservative abortion politics of the state. Despite the focus on women’s security and the intersectional feminist lens that has been used for this project, it is important to note that the security threat that distribution of data and surveillance proposes to the individual, is a threat to all individuals and not just women. This is an argument for the transferability of the case presented in this thesis. The conclusion this thesis presents is that the lack of jurisdictional protection of data privacy laws has the biggest impact on groups in society that already are marginalized and come from lower socioeconomical backgrounds. I therefore argue that data privacy laws need to be improved to protect the safety of vulnerable groups in the society that are less represented in democratic organs.