Providing medication abortion information to diverse communities: use patterns of a multilingual web site

Foster, Angel M.; Wynn, L. L.; Rouhana, Aida; Dı́az-Olavarrieta, Claudia; Schaffer, Kate

doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2006.03.013

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Internet sites dedicated to sexual and reproductive health appear particularly popular among individuals seeking information on issues related to sexually transmitted infections, contraception, pregnancy, and abortion [16–19]. The relative anonymity provided by health education websites allows individuals to obtain information about sensitive issues that they might otherwise be reluctant to discuss with health service providers, family members, and peers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can I get pregnant from oral sex? Sexual health misconceptions in e-mails to a reproductive health website

Wynn¹,

Foster²

2009

Contraception

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Background This study identifies sexual and reproductive health misconceptions contained in e-mails sent to an emergency contraception website. Study design From July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2004, 1,134 English-language questions were e-mailed to http://ec.princeton.edu. We performed content analysis on these e-mails and grouped misconceptions into thematic categories. Results Of the questions sent during the study period, 27% (n=303, total n=1,134) evinced underlying misconceptions about sexual and reproductive health issues. Content analysis revealed five major thematic categories of misconceptions: sexual acts that can lead to pregnancy; definitions of “protected” sex; timing of pregnancy and pregnancy testing; dangers that emergency contraceptives pose to women and fetuses; and confusion between emergency contraception and abortion. Conclusions These misconceptions have several possible sources: abstinence-only sexual education programs in the U.S., the proliferation of medically inaccurate websites, terminology used in public health campaigns, non-evidence based medical protocols, and confusion between emergency contraception and medication abortion in the media.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can I get pregnant from oral sex? Sexual health misconceptions in e-mails to a reproductive health website

Wynn¹,

Foster²

2009

Contraception

Self Cite

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“…Utilization of the website during the first year in which all four language versions were operational has been described previously [2]. Here we chronicle the history of www.medicationabortion.com focusing on the use patterns during the first five years of its operation and an evaluation of emails sent to website administrators over this period.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of global demand for medication abortion information

2014

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Introduction The worldwide expansion of the Internet offers an important modality of disseminating medically accurate information about medication abortion. We chronicle the story of www.medicationabortion.com, an English-, Spanish-, Arabic-, and French-language website dedicated to three early abortion regimens. Methods We evaluated the website use patterns from 2005 through 2009. We also conducted a content and thematic analysis of 1,910 emails submitted during this period. Results The website experienced steady growth in use. In 2009, it received 35,000 visits each month from more than 20,000 unique visitors and was accessed by users in 208 countries and territories. More than half of all users accessed the website from a country in which abortion is legally restricted. Users from more than 40 countries sent emails with individual questions. Women often wrote in extraordinary detail about the circumstances of their pregnancies and attempts to obtain an abortion. These emails also reflect considerable demand for information about the use of misoprostol for self-induction. Conclusion The use patterns of www.medicationabortion.com indicate that there is significant demand for online information about abortion, and the findings suggest future priorities for research, collaboration, and educational outreach.

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“…Further research could, for instance, investigate the possibilities to enable communication during self-managed medical abortion when a language barrier is involved, through technological support tools, telephone interpreters, multilingual websites (cf. Foster et al, 2006 ), or translated materials.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Language policy at an abortion clinic: linguistic capital and agency in treatment decision-making

2023

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This paper investigates an abortion clinic’s procedural choices regarding the management of linguistic diversity. It focuses in particular on how language serves as capital for clients’ agency in decision-making regarding their abortion treatment. Based on linguistic-ethnographic fieldwork in a Flemish abortion clinic, we analyse the clinic’s institutional language policy, which states that clients should be able to speak Dutch, English or French in order to be eligible for a medical abortion—the alternative to a surgical abortion. We show how direct and smooth communication is considered a condition to ensure safety during the medical abortion treatment. We also discuss how, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the practical reorganisation of the clinic has led to more autonomy and empowerment for some clients, while it reinforced the already existing inequality for others. Finally, we discuss the clinic’s struggles with and lack of reflection on language support services. We conclude that the case of the abortion clinic can be considered as one of exclusive inclusion, and suggest that a higher awareness of language support and a critical rethinking of the safety procedure could strengthen this clinic further in its endeavour to help women confronted with an unwanted pregnancy.

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Providing medication abortion information to diverse communities: use patterns of a multilingual web site

Cited by 8 publications

References 16 publications

Can I get pregnant from oral sex? Sexual health misconceptions in e-mails to a reproductive health website

Can I get pregnant from oral sex? Sexual health misconceptions in e-mails to a reproductive health website

Evidence of global demand for medication abortion information

Language policy at an abortion clinic: linguistic capital and agency in treatment decision-making

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