Sociodemographic and Service Use Characteristics of Abortion Fund Cases from Six States in the U.S. Southeast

Whitney S. Rice, Katie Labgold, Quita Tinsley Peterson, Megan Higdon and Oriaku Njoku
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Whitney S. Rice: Department of Behavioral, Social and Health Education Sciences, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Katie Labgold: The Center for Reproductive Health Research in the Southeast, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30030, USA
Quita Tinsley Peterson: Access Reproductive Care–Southeast, Atlanta, GA 30357, USA
Megan Higdon: Independent Researcher, Atlanta, GA 30327, USA
Oriaku Njoku: Access Reproductive Care–Southeast, Atlanta, GA 30357, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-16

Abstract: Abortion funds are key actors in mitigating barriers to abortion access, particularly in contexts where state-level abortion access restrictions are concentrated. Using 2017–2019 case management data from a regional abortion fund in the southeastern U.S., we described the sociodemographic and service use characteristics of cases overall ( n = 9585) and stratified by state of residence (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee). Overall, cases represented people seeking abortion fund assistance who predominately identified as non-Hispanic Black (81%), 18–34 years of age (84%), publicly or uninsured (87%), having completed a high school degree or some college (70%), having one or more children (77%), and as Christian (58%). Most cases involved an in-state clinic (81%), clinic travel distance under 50 miles (63%), surgical abortion (66%), and pregnancy under 13 weeks’ gestation (73%), with variation across states. The median abortion fund contribution pledge was $75 (interquartile range (IQR): 60–100), supplementing median caller contributions of $200 (IQR: 40–300). These data provide a unique snapshot of a population navigating disproportionate, intersecting barriers to abortion access, and abortion fund capacity for social care and science. Findings can inform abortion fund development, data quality improvement efforts, as well as reproductive health, rights and justice advocacy, policy, and research.

Keywords: reproductive justice; pregnancy; abortion; pregnancy termination; sexual and reproductive health; family planning; access to health; U.S. state laws; policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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