We spoke with Gillian Love, Assistant Professor in Sociology and Criminology at the University of Sussex. Her work spans abortion, fertility, parenthood, and trans inclusion in perinatal services. Her message is simple: stigma shapes whether people feel safe enough to seek treatment, and that can be life and death.

When we think of healthcare, we think of clinicians. But there’s another kind of work happening—quiet, constant, and often overlooked. Here, we unpack the emotional and practical labour patients carry, especially those from stigmatised and marginalised communities.