“It's not something you talk about really”: information barriers encountered by women who travel long distances for abortion care

Abstract

For individuals traveling significant distances for time-sensitive abortion care, accurate information about service options and locations is critical, but little is known regarding information barriers that individuals may encounter and strategies for circumventing these barriers. Study design: In early 2015, we conducted in-depth interviews with 29 patients who had traveled for abortion care at six facilities in Michigan and New Mexico. We identified information-related barriers that respondents encountered in understanding their pregnancy options and/or where to obtain an abortion between the time of pregnancy discovery, including any contact with a crisis pregnancy center, to the day of the abortion procedure through inductive and deductive analysis. Results: We identified two logistical information-related barriersa general lack of reproductive-related knowledge and unhelpfulness on the part of perceived members of the healthcare communityand one broader barrier of perceived stigma within respondents' narratives. Of the seven respondents who did not encounter a logistical information-related barrier, having previous personal or close experience with abortion and internet savviness were both identified as strategies enabling them to circumvent the barriers. Conclusion: Lack of clear, easy-to-find and accurate information about abortion services and availability represents a key barrier to obtaining an abortion; health care providers play a crucial role in ensuring pregnant patients' right to informed consent within reproductive health care delivery. Implications: Women's health care providers should provide their patients with the full spectrum of resources and referrals for pregnancy and abortion care; recent federal guidelines proposing to restrict abortion counseling and referral at Title X-funded facilities would only exacerbate the current challenges that pregnant patients encounter when seeking abortion-related information and further decrease linkages to timely, desired abortion care.

Quality of top webpages providing abortion pill information for Google searches in the USA: An evidence-based webpage quality assessment

“…It has also been found that in more restrictive states, simulated patient callers (representing abortion seekers) are less likely to receive a referral to an abortion provider and that women are more likely to perceive abortion access as difficult [ 2 , 3 ]. Additionally, research has shown that women who have to travel long distances to get abortion care may face notable information-related barriers to access [ 4 ]. As a result, many individuals face real and perceived difficulties that shape their trajectory of seeking and potentially accessing abortion as a desired healthcare service.…”

What are people looking for when they Google “self-abortion”?

“…Although abortion is legal in the United States, some individuals may seek to terminate pregnancies outside of a clinical setting if clinical abortion services are unavailable, inaccessible, or unacceptable to them [ 1 – 3 ]. One barrier to accessing abortion is the lack of information about abortion options [ 4 , 5 ]. It is likely that many individuals who consider abortion, and self-abortion 1 in particular, turn to the Internet to find information.…”

Breaking the silence in the primary care office: patients' attitudes toward discussing abortion during contraceptive counseling

“…It may be particularly important for health care providers to identify themselves proactively as a resource to patients at times of policy change when the status of state laws can be difficult to decipher [ 18 ]. A timely abortion may not actually be feasible for those who encounter misinformation, and therefore delays, in the process [ 27 ]. Health care providers who have made themselves a known resource in advance may be able to refer patients to organizations that could help navigate their state laws, provide accurate information regarding available services, and connect them with sources of financial assistance.…”