"They're forcing people to have children that they can’t afford": A Qualitative Study of Social Support and Abortion in Georgia Público
Dickey, Madison (Spring 2020)
Abstract
Background: Abortion is a common medical procedure in the United States, yet research has demonstrated that women face significant barriers to accessing abortion care. Prior research indicates that social support and social capital are major facilitators to healthcare, because they work to overcome many barriers to healthcare access. However, limited research has examined social support as a facilitator to abortion access, and no studies have examined social capital within an abortion context.
Objectives: This study explores women’s experiences with social networks, social support, and social capital while accessing abortion services in Georgia. It examines how social support and social capital factor into women’s decision-making, emotional responses, access to abortion care, and – if unable to access abortion services – their ability to parent.
Methods: We recruited 18 women pre-procedure from an urban abortion clinic in Georgia for in-depth interviews between September 2019 and January 2020. Interviews were conducted over the phone, taking place 1-3 weeks post-procedure. Interview topics included social networks, support, and capital; abortion-seeking experiences and decision making; and barriers to care. We transcribed and analyzed the interviews in MaxQDA using the Sort, Sift, Think, Shift approach for thematic analysis.
Results: Women discussed social support around abortion as mitigating negative emotional, financial, and physical impacts. Women recounted many instances of social support, including advice and emotional support, financial aid, childcare, and accompaniment to the clinic. However, quality and level of support varied by partnership characteristics, depended on resources in the extended network, and was impacted by abortion stigma and community-wide poverty. Women are caught in a double bind, wherein they lack the social support and social capital needed to access abortion care and for childrearing.
Conclusions: Social support and social capital are key facilitators of abortion access and parenting, but patients often experience barriers to social support and capital due to poverty, unstable partnerships, structural inequality, and abortion stigma. Moreover, restricting access to safe and legal abortion services would be of significant detriment to the health and wellbeing of women, their families, and their social networks by perpetuating cycles of poverty and deepening socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities.
Table of Contents
Chapter I: Introduction............................................................ 1
Project Context and Rationale.................................................. 1
Problem Statement................................................................. 3
Purpose Statement................................................................. 4
Research Objectives................................................................ 4
Significance Statement............................................................ 4
Definition of Terms................................................................. 6
Chapter II: Literature Review................................................... 7
Introduction........................................................................... 7
Characteristics of Induced Abortion in the United States........... 8
Effects of Being Denied an Abortion....................................... 16
Barriers to Abortion Access.................................................... 19
Social Support and Capital in Accessing Healthcare Services.... 23
Conclusion........................................................................... 28
Chapter III: Manuscript......................................................... 30
Introduction......................................................................... 34
Materials and Methods.......................................................... 38
Results................................................................................. 40
Discussion............................................................................ 49
Limitations and Strengths..................................................... 53
Conclusion........................................................................... 54
Chapter IV: Conclusion and Recommendations....................... 56
Recommendations for Future Actions..................................... 56
References............................................................................ 63
Table 1: Interview and Loss-to-Follow-Up Demographics......... 69
Appendix A: In-Depth Interview Guide................................... 71
About this Master's Thesis
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