AWARENESS AND BELIEFS RELATED TO SELF-MANAGED ABORTION IN OHIO AFTER THE DOBBS DECISION

Objectives

We aimed to analyze the awareness and beliefs related to self-managed abortion after Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

Methods

Utilizing a population-representative sample of adult, reproductive-age women in Ohio collected in September 2022 to August 2023 (n=2,473), we calculated the prevalence of three outcomes: (1) awareness of self-managed medication abortion (SMMA) measured with the question, “Have you heard of pills that you can buy and use at home to conduct an abortion without going to a clinic or consulting a doctor?”, (2) perceived meaning of term “self-managed abortion,” and (3) hypothetical actions if the respondent or someone close to them needed an abortion that was not legal in Ohio. We used chi-square tests to identify factors associated with SMMA awareness.

Results

About 41.6% of women reported being aware of SMMA. Awareness was statistically significantly associated with race and ethnicity (p=0.01) and socioeconomic status (p<0.01), with non-Hispanic Black women and women with some college or less and <$75K income reporting the lowest levels of awareness. Women selected a range of responses to describe what self-managed abortion means to them, including the morning after pill (30.3%). Few women (6.1%) would buy abortion pills online in response to the hypothetical question.

Conclusions

A minority of adult, reproductive-age women in Ohio are aware of SMMA, and awareness varies by race and socioeconomic status. The morning after pill was commonly indicated as a method of self-managed abortion. These findings highlight the need for more education about SMMA, to tailor education to specific populations, and distinguish it from emergency contraception.