The Robert E. Lang Memorial Fellowship is awarded annually to support an outstanding UNLV Ph.D. student completing a dissertation in metropolitan public policy broadly defined. At the end of their fellowship year, fellows present their doctoral research in a public forum. The 2025 -26 Robert E. Lang Memorial Fellow, Celene Fuller, will present a lecture titled "Abortion Politics and Policy: Stigma and Access in the Silver State."

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) overturning Roe V. Wade, states have taken divergent paths in regulating access to abortion services. In 2024, Nevada voters overwhelmingly passed Question 6 proposing to codify abortion rights into the state constitution. In November 2026, Question 6 will again be on the ballot for final confirmation. If it passes, these rights will be protected from future legislative action.

Despite Nevadans’ strong support for abortion rights, the state’s dearth of abortion providers limits access to these services. As this lecture explores, both providers and individuals seeking abortions, including those living non-traditional lifestyles (NTLs) such as consensual non-monogamy and BDSM/kink, experience stigma through negative stereotyping and social disapproval. In this lecture, stigma is defined as a relational and structural process through which certain identities, behaviors, and bodily choices are labeled and marked as deviant, producing exclusion, moral judgment, and unequal access to resources and care. Drawing on data collected from 48 in-depth interviews, Fuller examines the concept of stigma in the context of bodily autonomy, gender roles, and considers how stigma might foster beneficial outcomes, such as resilience, and lead some to educate others and increase contact with supportive communities.

Understanding how stigma can impede access to reproductive and other healthcare services enables researchers to conduct more informed research on stigma and resilience. Recommendations for effective laws and public policies for addressing abortion stigma and barriers to healthcare access in Nevada will be presented.