Does state-level context matter for individuals' knowledge about abortion, legality and health? Challenging the 'red states v. blue states' hypothesis.

Recently, the hypothesis that state-level political context influences individuals' cultural values--the 'red states v. blue states' hypothesis--has been invoked to explain the hyper-polarisation of politics in the USA. To test this hypothesis, we examined individuals' knowledge about abortion in relation to the political context of their current state of residence. Drawing from an internet-survey of 586 reproductive-age individuals in the USA, we assessed two types of abortion knowledge: health-related and legality. We found that state-level conservatism does not modify the existing relationships between individual predictors and each of the two types of abortion knowledge. Hence, our findings do not support the 'red states' versus 'blue states' hypothesis. Additionally, we find that knowledge about abortion's health effects in the USA is low: 7% of our sample thought abortion before 12 weeks gestation was illegal.

Introducing abortion patients to a culture of support: a pilot study.

Currently in the United States, women who have abortions face a societal culture in which disapproval, stigma, and misinformation about the risks and sequelae of abortion are common. The purpose of this study is to pilot test an intervention that introduces abortion patients to a "culture of support" by providing validating messages and information about groups and services that support women in their reproductive decisions, addressing stigma, and providing information to help women identify and avoid sources of abortion misinformation. Twenty-two women who completed their post-operative exam after abortion were enrolled to take part in the study intervention. In-depth interviews were conducted to explore patient experiences and responses to the intervention. All (22/22) participants responded that they believed that interventions like the one studied could help women avoid letting the judgmental actions and attitudes of others "get to them so much". All (20/20) participants felt that the intervention was personally helpful to them. An intervention that introduces women having abortions to a "culture of support" was well-received. This study provides a framework for future research about the content, strength, and effect of societal and cultural influences on women having abortions and for additional research about interventions to promote resilience after abortion.

Beliefs about abortion risks in women returning to the clinic after their abortions: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Misinformation regarding the risks of abortion is prevalent and commonly includes medical inaccuracies about health, depression, infertility and breast cancer. This pilot study sought to assess misinformation among abortion clients as well as the origin(s) of their abortion knowledge. STUDY DESIGN: Women who presented to the Mount Sinai School of Medicine Family Planning Division for postabortion follow-up were recruited for participation. Participants completed a researcher-administered survey regarding knowledge and beliefs about abortion. RESULTS: Sixty-seven women completed the survey between 1/11/10 and 8/6/12. Common sources of abortion information included clinicians (79.1%), Web sites (70.1%), friends (50.7%) and family (40.3%). Over two thirds of women (77.6%) overestimated the health risks, and close to half (43.3%) overestimated the risk of depression after a first trimester abortion. CONCLUSIONS: Misperceptions about the health risks of abortion were prevalent among this sample. Education tools should be developed to provide accurate information about the risks of abortion.

Connecting knowledge about abortion and sexual and reproductive health to belief about abortion restrictions: findings from an online survey.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this research was to examine individuals' knowledge about abortion in the context of their knowledge about other sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues, including contraception, abortion, pregnancy, and birth. METHODS: During August 2012, we administered an online questionnaire to a randomly selected sample of 639 men and women of reproductive age (18-44 years) in the United States. FINDINGS: Respondents reported the highest levels of perceived knowledge about SRH in general (81%), followed by pregnancy and birth (53%), contraception (48%), and abortion (35%); knowledge of specific items within each of these areas paralleled this pattern. Respondents who believe that abortion should be allowed in at least some circumstances were more likely to be correct regarding the safety and consequences of contraception and abortion. Characteristics associated with higher levels of knowledge regarding abortion-related issues included having higher levels of knowledge about non-abortion-related SRH issues and having less restrictive abortion beliefs. CONCLUSIONS: Women and men are not well-informed about the relative safety and consequences of SRH-related experiences. Many overestimate their knowledge, and personal beliefs about abortion restrictions may influence their knowledge about the safety and consequences of abortion and contraception. Providers of SRH services should provide comprehensive evidence-based information about the risks and consequences of SRH matters during consultations, particularly in the case of abortion providers serving women who hold more restrictive abortion beliefs.