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

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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
    The Center for Reproductive Health Research in the Southeast, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30030, USA)

  • Katie Labgold

    (The Center for Reproductive Health Research in the Southeast, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30030, USA
    Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, 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)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Whitney S. Rice & Katie Labgold & Quita Tinsley Peterson & Megan Higdon & Oriaku Njoku, 2021. "Sociodemographic and Service Use Characteristics of Abortion Fund Cases from Six States in the U.S. Southeast," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-16, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:7:p:3813-:d:530795
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Roman Pabayo & Amy Ehntholt & Daniel M. Cook & Megan Reynolds & Peter Muennig & Sze Y. Liu, 2020. "Laws Restricting Access to Abortion Services and Infant Mortality Risk in the United States," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-14, May.
    2. Krieger, N. & Chen, J.T. & Coull, B. & Waterman, P.D. & Beckfield, J., 2013. "The unique impact of abolition of Jim Crow Laws on reducing inequities in infant death rates and implications for choice of comparison groups in analyzing societal determinants of health," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(12), pages 2234-2244.
    3. Cook, Philip J. & Parnell, Allan M. & Moore, Michael J. & Pagnini, Deanna, 1999. "The effects of short-term variation in abortion funding on pregnancy outcomes," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 241-257, April.
    4. Upadhyay, U.D. & Weitz, T.A. & Jones, R.K. & Barar, R.E. & Foster, D.G., 2014. "Denial of abortion because of provider gestational age limits in the United States," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 104(9), pages 1687-1694.
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    Cited by:

    1. Dickey, Madison S. & Mosley, Elizabeth A. & Clark, Elizabeth A. & Cordes, Sarah & Lathrop, Eva & Haddad, Lisa B., 2022. "“They're forcing people to have children that they can't afford”: a qualitative study of social support and capital among individuals receiving an abortion in Georgia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 315(C).

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