INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AND DELAYS IN SCHEDULING ABORTION SERVICES

Objectives

Intimate partner violence (IPV), the experience of physical and sexual violence, stalking, and/or psychological aggression within an intimate relationship, may influence reproductive autonomy and abortion access. We examined the relationship between IPV victimization and delays in scheduling abortion services for pregnant people in the US.

Methods

Data come from the Guttmacher Institute’s Abortion Patient Survey, a nationally representative non-hospital sample of women seeking abortions in 2014 (n=8,380). We estimated complex survey-weighted logistic regression to model the association between IPV victimization and two-week delays in scheduling a desired abortion after the decision to terminate a pregnancy, controlling for sociodemographic variables. We chose two weeks based on the earliest plausible time of pregnancy awareness (four weeks) and the shortest gestation bans (six weeks). A delay of more than two weeks could result in a denied abortion.

Results

In bivariate models (n=6,996), experiencing IPV was associated with greater abortion scheduling delays compared to those not experiencing IPV (OR = 1.64, 95% CI 1.27, 2.11, p=0.0002). In multivariable models (n=6,197), experiencing IPV was associated with greater abortion scheduling delays compared to those not experiencing IPV (OR= 1.36, 95% CI 1.01, 1.83, p = 0.0430), controlling for covariates.

Conclusions

IPV is associated with delays in scheduling a desired abortion. In the increasingly restrictive US policy climate, IPV-related delays in scheduling services may make abortions functionally inaccessible. Comprehensive IPV screening is critical in obstetrics. Providers working with patients who are seeking abortions and experiencing IPV should provide prompt resources and education to ensure rapid access to abortion services.