Women's Perspectives on Ultrasound Viewing in the Abortion Care Context

Kimport, Katrina; Preskill, Felisa; Cockrill, Kate; Weitz, Tracy A.

doi:10.1016/j.whi.2012.09.001

Cited by 25 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The experiences of women in our study help to explain the decline in the number of abortions and increase in the proportion of second-trimester abortions observed in Texas in the period after HB2 was enforced and add to the limited qualitative literature describing patient experiences with abortion restrictions [1,5,6]. In the period after clinics closed due to enforcement of HB2, women faced added informational, geographic and financial obstacles to abortion care.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Women's experiences seeking abortion care shortly after the closure of clinics due to a restrictive law in Texas

et al. 2016

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Objective In 2013, Texas passed legislation restricting abortion services. Almost half of the state’s clinics had closed by April 2014, and there was a 13% decline in abortions in the 6 months after the first portions of the law went into effect, compared to the same period 1 year prior. We aimed to describe women’s experiences seeking abortion care shortly after clinics closed and document pregnancy outcomes of women affected by these closures. Study design Between November 2013 and November 2014, we recruited women who sought abortion care at Texas clinics that were no longer providing services. Some participants had appointments scheduled at clinics that stopped offering care when the law went into effect; others called seeking care at clinics that had closed. Texas resident women seeking abortion in Albuquerque, New Mexico, were also recruited. Results We conducted 23 in-depth interviews and performed a thematic analysis. As a result of clinic closures, women experienced confusion about where to go for abortion services, and most reported increased cost and travel time to obtain care. Having to travel farther for care also compromised their privacy. Eight women were delayed more than 1 week, two did not receive care until they were more than 12 weeks pregnant and two did not obtain their desired abortion at all. Five women considered self-inducing the abortion, but none attempted this. Conclusions The clinic closures resulted in multiple barriers to care, leading to delayed abortion care for some and preventing others from having the abortion they wanted. Implications The restrictions on abortion facilities that resulted in the closure of clinics in Texas created significant burdens on women that prevented them from having desired abortions. These laws may also adversely affect public health by moving women who would have had abortions in the first trimester to having second-trimester procedures.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Women's experiences seeking abortion care shortly after the closure of clinics due to a restrictive law in Texas

et al. 2016

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“…Additional research shows that, aside from impact on decision-making, pre-abortion ultrasound viewing can have other effects on women [17–19]. In a study of 20 women interviewed after receiving an ultrasound as part of abortion care, women’s accounts illustrated that ultrasound viewing can cause emotional difficulty for women who plan to terminate their pregnancy [16], but other studies have found that the most common emotional response to ultrasound viewing is a neutral one, with many women reporting that viewing had no impact on them [19]. However, given findings that many women appreciate having the choice whether to view their ultrasound image [17, 20–22], it is unclear if we can generalize from findings on the effects (or lack thereof) of voluntary viewing to settings where viewing is mandatory, such as Wisconsin.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the impact of a mandatory pre-abortion ultrasound viewing law: A mixed methods study

et al. 2017

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BackgroundSince mid-2013, Wisconsin abortion providers have been legally required to display and describe pre-abortion ultrasound images. We aimed to understand the impact of this law.MethodsWe used a mixed-methods study design at an abortion facility in Wisconsin. We abstracted data from medical charts one year before the law to one year after and used multivariable models, mediation/moderation analysis, and interrupted time series to assess the impact of the law, viewing, and decision certainty on likelihood of continuing the pregnancy. We conducted in-depth interviews with women in the post-law period about their ultrasound experience and analyzed them using elaborative and modified grounded theory.ResultsA total of 5342 charts were abstracted; 8.7% continued their pregnancies pre-law and 11.2% post-law (p = 0.002). A multivariable model confirmed the law was associated with higher odds of continuing pregnancy (aOR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.01–1.50). Decision certainty (aOR = 6.39, 95% CI: 4.72–8.64) and having to pay fully out of pocket (aOR = 4.98, 95% CI: 3.86–6.41) were most strongly associated with continuing pregnancy. Ultrasound viewing fully mediated the relationship between the law and continuing pregnancy. Interrupted time series analyses found no significant effect of the law but may have been underpowered to detect such a small effect.Nineteen of twenty-three women interviewed viewed their ultrasound image. Most reported no impact on their abortion decision; five reported a temporary emotional impact or increased certainty about choosing abortion. Two women reported that viewing helped them decide to continue the pregnancy; both also described preexisting decision uncertainty.ConclusionsThis law caused an increase in viewing rates and a statistically significant but small increase in continuing pregnancy rates. However, the majority of women were certain of their abortion decision and the law did not change their decision. Other factors were more significant in women’s decision-making, suggesting evaluations of restrictive laws should take account of the broader social environment.

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“…The sparse literature that does exist suggests that women do not have a single emotional response to ultrasound viewing and, instead, have a range of responses that are largely dependent on how they feel about their pregnancy in general rather than on the content of the ultrasound image (Kimport et al . ). Future research should investigate emotional reactions to ultrasound viewing from patients' perspective.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…This call to attend to how social location matters for ultrasound viewing draws attention to the current lack of empirical evidence on what, if any, emotional effects ultrasound viewing has on women seeking abortion. The sparse literature that does exist suggests that women do not have a single emotional response to ultrasound viewing and, instead, have a range of responses that are largely dependent on how they feel about their pregnancy in general rather than on the content of the ultrasound image (Kimport et al 2012). Future research should investigate emotional reactions to ultrasound viewing from patients' perspective.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Constructing the meaning of ultrasound viewing in abortion care

Kimport

Weitz

2015

Sociology Health & Illness

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As ultrasound scanning becomes increasingly routine in abortion care, scholars and activists have forwarded claims about how viewing the ultrasound image will affect pregnant women seeking abortion, speculating that it will dissuade them from abortion. These accounts, however, fail to appreciate how viewing is a social process. Little research has investigated how ultrasound workers navigate viewing in abortion care. We draw on interviews with twenty-six ultrasound workers in abortion care for their impressions and practices around ultrasound viewing. Respondents reported few experiences of viewing dissuading women from abortion, but did report that it had an emotional effect on patients that they believed was associated with gestational age. These impressions informed their practices, leading many to manage patient viewing based on the patient's gestational age. Other aspects of their accounts, however, undercut the assertion that the meaning of ultrasound images is associated with gestation and show the pervasiveness of cultural ideas associating developing foetal personhood with increasing gestational age. Findings demonstrate the social construction of ultrasound viewing, with implications in the ongoing contestation over abortion rights in the US.

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Women's Perspectives on Ultrasound Viewing in the Abortion Care Context

Cited by 25 publications

References 6 publications

Women's experiences seeking abortion care shortly after the closure of clinics due to a restrictive law in Texas

Women's experiences seeking abortion care shortly after the closure of clinics due to a restrictive law in Texas

Evaluating the impact of a mandatory pre-abortion ultrasound viewing law: A mixed methods study

Constructing the meaning of ultrasound viewing in abortion care

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