Increasing abortion restrictions are pushing more people to navigate legal risks and longer travel distances to the nearest abortion clinic. A new study confirms that as many as one in three people indicate that they would consider doing something to end their pregnancy on their own if unable to obtain care at a facility.
Key Findings
Study Design
From January to June 2019, researchers surveyed patients seeking abortion at 4 facilities in 3 U.S. states. They explored consideration of SMA using responses to the question: “Would you consider ending this pregnancy on your own if you are unable to obtain care at a health care facility?” Researchers also explored whether consideration of SMA differed by specific obstacles to abortion care. Although this study was conducted at a time when facility-based abortion was legally protected in the U.S. under the Supreme Court’s 1972 Roe v. Wade decision, the hypothetical scenario presented to participants in this study of being unable to access abortion at a facility is now a reality for many pregnant people, after SCOTUS recently overturned federal protection of abortion.
Implications
Self-managed abortion may become more common as more abortion bans are enacted. Findings from this study also reinforces prior evidence that shows consideration of SMA is consistently higher for those who report obstacles related to finding or getting to a clinic or paying for care.
The researchers state:
“Future research should continue to monitor pregnant people’s consideration and use of SMA, which may give further insight into who is interested in self-sourcing medications or will need assistance traveling to state where abortion remains accessible as clinic-based abortion access is eliminated in regions across the US.”
The article, A cross-sectional study examining consideration of self-managed abortion among people seeking facility-based care in the United States, is available in Reproductive Health.