The Health and Social Service Needs of Pregnant Women Who Consider but Do Not Have Abortions

Abstract

Purpose: States have enacted an increasing number of policies restricting access to abortion. As a result, some women are unable to obtain an abortion and instead continue their pregnancies. These women may have particular needs that would bring them to the attention of public health programs. Methods: Pregnant women entering prenatal care completed a self-administered survey and structured interview at four prenatal facilities in Louisiana and Maryland (N ¼ 586). Participants reported their pregnancy intentions, whether they had considered abortion, and their reasons for not having an abortion (e.g., personal reasons, policy barriers to care). Participants completed up to 13 items indicating their service needs; an index was created by summing across nine common items. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and multivariable regression models that controlled for sociodemographic characteristics. Results: On average, women reported 2.99 service needs. The most common needs were WIC (93%), food stamps (85%), dental care (59%), and housing assistance (53%). In multivariable analyses, women who considered abortion but did not face a policy barrier reported greater service needs compared to women who did not consider abortion (3.45 vs. 2.82; b ¼ 0.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.25-1.04). Women reporting a policy barrier to abortion reported the highest service needs (3.95) of all groups, although differences were not statistically significant possibly owing to sample size. Conclusions: Pregnant women who consider abortion before entering prenatal care have considerable health and social service needs. Public health programs that serve women and children should consider the specific needs of women who seek abortions.

Complex situations: Economic insecurity, mental health, and substance use among pregnant women who consider – but do not have – abortions

“…This means that these groups are disproportionately impacted by restrictive abortion policies; they are also groups who may need additional support to be able to obtain abortions and, when not able to obtain abortions, to obtain services during their pregnancy and afterwards. In fact, our previous research has found that women who report policy-related barriers to abortion report needing services such as substance use disorder treatment [34]. Previous research underscores the importance of thinking about how to support women unable to obtain abortions, as this research indicates that denying women abortion does not resolve factors (such as problematic alcohol use or economic insecurity) that existed prior to her becoming pregnant or that led her to consider abortion in the first place [13,35].…”

“…We also aimed to: 1) Understand women's experiences considering and seeking abortions in a state with multiple versus few restrictive abortion policies; 2) Assess health & social service needs of women who consider but do not have abortions; and 3) Understand women's experience with and impacts of Pregnancy Resource Centers. We have previously published some findings related to each aim [5,8,[22][23][24]]. The analyses presented in this manuscript are a-priori components of the first aim.…”

Therapeutic abortion in Iran: an epidemiologic study of legal abortion in 2 years

“…It means that about 7% of all abortion requests were rejected because of gestational age of more than 19 weeks while it could be prevented. Mothers who do not receive the permission for abortion for a fetus with significant anomalies just because it is older than 19 weeks could be at risk of performing unsafe abortion (41). Lack of information about the rules and regulations concerning abortion among the prenatal caregivers such as gynecologists, midwives, and general practitioners (42,43) and also the society (44, 45) could be considered as reasons for delayed referral and therefore, their education in this matter should be taken into account.…”

Therapeutic abortion in Iran: an epidemiologic study of legal abortion in 2 years

“…It means that about 7% of all abortion requests were rejected because of gestational age of more than 19 weeks while it could be prevented. Mothers who do not receive the permission for abortion for a fetus with signi cant anomalies just because it is older than 19 weeks could be at risk of performing unsafe abortion (41). Lack of information about the rules and regulations concerning abortion among the prenatal caregivers such as gynecologists, midwives, and general practitioners (42,43) and also the society (44,45) could be considered as reasons for delayed referral and therefore, their education in this matter should be taken into account.…”