Assessing the impact of TRAP laws on abortion and women’s health in the USA: a systematic review

Austin, Nichole; Harper, Sam

doi:10.1136/bmjsrh-2017-101866

Cited by 32 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…1 and Appendix 1). We included items about abortion laws (12), about common abortion myths (5), personal views on abortion (1), self-reported pregnancy and abortion history (3), and health literacy (6) [21].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Women's knowledge of their state's abortion regulations. A national survey

et al. 2020

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Objectives: States vary significantly in their regulation of abortion. Misinformation about abortion is pervasive and propagated by state-mandated scripts that contain abortion myths. We sought to investigate women's knowledge of abortion laws in their state. Our secondary objective was to describe women's ability to discern myths about abortion from facts about abortion. Study design: This was a cross-sectional study of English-and Spanish-speaking women aged 18-49 in the United States. We enrolled members of the GfK KnowledgePanel, a probability-based, nationallyrepresentative online sample. Our primary outcome was the proportion of correct answers to 12 questions about laws regulating abortion in a respondent's state. We asked five questions about common abortion myths. We used descriptive statistics to characterize performance on these measures and bivariate and multivariate modeling to identify risk factors for poor knowledge of state abortion laws. Results: Of 2223 women contacted, 1057 (48%) completed the survey. The mean proportion of correct answers to 12 law questions was 18% (95% CI 17-20%). For three of five assessed myths, women endorsed myths about abortion over facts. Those who believe abortion should be illegal (aOR 2.18, CI 1.40-3.37), and those living in states with neutral or hostile state policies toward abortion (neutral aOR 1.99, CI 1.34-2.97; hostile aOR 1.6, CI 1.07-2.36) were at increased odds of poor law knowledge. Conclusions: Women had low levels of knowledge about state abortion laws and commonly endorse abortion myths. Women's knowledge of their state's abortion laws was associated with personal views about abortion and their state policy environment. Implications: Supporters of reproductive rights can use these results to show policy makers that their constituents are unlikely to know about laws being passed that may profoundly affect them. These findings underscore the potential benefit in correcting widely-held, medically-inaccurate beliefs about abortion so opinions about laws can be based on fact.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While no outright abortion ban is currently in effect in any state, abortion access is widely variable based on legislation in each state [5,6]. Fifty-eight percent of reproductive-aged women live in states with policy hostile toward abortion [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women's knowledge of their state's abortion regulations. A national survey

et al. 2020

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“…A major impact of paternalism for r/abortion users resulted from policy variation between states, causing inequity and travel barriers. State Targeted Regulations of Abortion Providers (TRAP) impose clinical restrictions without directly criminalizing abortion [28]. Our analysis found that these factors were major barriers to r/abortion users, as they often discussed ways to mitigate restrictions through interstate travel.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Online Abortion Empowerment in Absence of Parental and Medical Support: A Thematic Analysis of a Reddit Community’s Contributions to Decision-Making and Access

Richards

Masud

Arocha

2021

Preprint

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BackgroundFamily planning decisions can be influenced by several factors, including social and clinical support. Lack of support can hinder autonomous and informed pregnancy choices and healthcare access. Adolescents commonly use the internet as a communication platform and information source. This study sought to identify online reports of parental paternalism’s influence abortion knowledge and access, and how virtual a community responded to paternalistic determinants.MethodsWe explored abortion discussions on Reddit, an online platform that houses virtual communities of anonymous users (Dec 13, 2019 – Mar 1, 2020). We identified relevant posts within the “r/abortion” community using scoping review data collection methods. Relevant posts included those that discussed parents, familial/cultural values, and young age (n=93); Of these, 58 posts fit the research question. We analyzed initial posts and responses using theory-driven thematic analysis through collaborative deductive codes and thematic maps.ResultsR/abortion users discussed the parental and clinical role in family planning. Unsupportive interactions hindered users’ ability to make autonomous abortion decisions. Parents and the health system commonly upheld physical, financial, and privacy barriers. Users shared experiences and advice to overcome paternalistic influence, and offered decision-making, coping, and access resources. Young people felt empowered and informed by online conversations.ConclusionsPaternalistic barriers brought individuals to participate in r/abortion conversations. In addition to lacking knowledge to make abortion decisions, users were not informed of available services and how to navigate healthcare. R/abortion’s anonymity facilitated candid abortion discussions, provided health information, and helped users access abortion care. Peer-to-peer abortion discussions can be especially useful during COVID-19 to foster support in overcoming potentially increased isolation, parental involvement, and healthcare barriers. Family planning experts can use these communities as a tool to engage in person-centered efforts outside of traditional health systems.

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“…In contrast, TRAP opponents argue that the structural barriers imposed by these laws harm women by making it more difficult to access abortion, which could lead to changes in abortion rates, increased gestational age at presentation (which subsequently leads to more expensive and complicated procedures), and possibly increases in self‐induced abortion . A recent systematic review of quantitative evidence on the health effects of supply‐side policies found a general lack of evidence on this topic, although the available studies did suggest an inverse association between enforcement of certain TRAP laws and abortion rates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Constructing a longitudinal database of targeted regulation of abortion providers laws

Austin

2019

Health Services Research

Self Cite

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Objective To build a longitudinal state‐level database on targeted regulation of abortion providers (TRAP) laws. Data Sources Primary sources included state websites, Lexis Nexis Quicklaw, and WestlawNext. We used a range of secondary sources to pinpoint policy timing. Study Design This was a state‐level review of TRAP shifts from 1973 to present. Data Collection We captured data on TRAP policy activity and timing, focusing specifically on ambulatory surgical center (ASC) laws, admitting privilege requirements, and transfer agreements. Principal Findings Twenty‐five states had ever enacted an ASC, admitting privilege, or transfer agreement law. Many currently face legal challenges. Conclusions Targeted regulation of abortion providers laws are favored by many states as a way to regulate abortion provision. These data can be used to better understand the impact of these laws.

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Assessing the impact of TRAP laws on abortion and women’s health in the USA: a systematic review

Cited by 32 publications

References 16 publications

Women's knowledge of their state's abortion regulations. A national survey

Women's knowledge of their state's abortion regulations. A national survey

Online Abortion Empowerment in Absence of Parental and Medical Support: A Thematic Analysis of a Reddit Community’s Contributions to Decision-Making and Access

Constructing a longitudinal database of targeted regulation of abortion providers laws

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