October 4, 2022

Increasing abortion restrictions are pushing more people to navigate legal risks and longer travel distances to the nearest abortion clinic. A new ANSIRH study confirms that as many as one in three people indicate that they would consider doing something to end their pregnancy on their own if unable to obtain care at a facility.

One in three (34%) study participants would definitely or probably consider self-managing their abortion if unable to get care at a clinic. People without health insurance, people having difficulty paying for the abortion, and people seeking abortion care due to concerns about their physical or mental health were more likely to consider self-managed abortion. People who would consider self-managed abortion faced more obstacles to getting care such as finding a facility, arranging transportation, and needing multiple visits.

Although this study was conducted at a time when facility-based abortion was legally protected in the U.S. under the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, the hypothetical scenario presented to participants in this study of being unable to access abortion at a facility is now a reality for many pregnant people, after SCOTUS recently overturned federal protection of abortion.

Self-managed abortion may become more common as more abortion bans are enacted. Findings from this study also reinforce prior evidence that shows consideration of self-managed abortion is consistently higher for those who report obstacles related to finding or getting to a clinic or paying for care.