Rachel K Jones1, Diana Greene Foster2, M Antonia Biggs2. 1. Research Division, Guttmacher Institute, New York, NY, United States. Electronic address: rjones@guttmacher.org. 2. Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, Oakland, CA, United States.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine fertility intentions among abortion patients and the potential of abortion for avoiding short birth intervals. STUDY DESIGN: We used national data from a sample of more than 8000 individuals obtaining abortions in the United States in 2014. We created a measure of fertility intentions based on prior births and responses to an item asking about future childbearing expectations. We identify respondents who reported having a birth in the last 12 months as at risk of a short birth interval. We used simple logistic regression to assess for differences in these measures according to key demographic variables. RESULTS: Most commonly, 39% of patients intended to have (more) children, with similar proportions wanting to delay a first birth (20%) or postpone a second or higher order birth (19%). Some 31% of abortion patients had completed childbearing; they had one or more prior births and did not want to have any more children. Similar proportions of respondents were not sure if they wanted to have children (16%) or did not want to have any children (15%). Among abortion patients who had children, 14% had had a birth in the prior year. We estimate that as many as 77,800 short birth intervals were averted in 2014 because individuals had access to abortion. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the view that abortion allows individuals to plan and space their births according to their reproductive life plans and intentions. IMPLICATIONS: Access to abortion may help thousands of individuals in the United States avoid short birth intervals, potentially leading to improvements in maternal and child health.
OBJECTIVE: To examine fertility intentions among abortion patients and the potential of abortion for avoiding short birth intervals. STUDY DESIGN: We used national data from a sample of more than 8000 individuals obtaining abortions in the United States in 2014. We created a measure of fertility intentions based on prior births and responses to an item asking about future childbearing expectations. We identify respondents who reported having a birth in the last 12 months as at risk of a short birth interval. We used simple logistic regression to assess for differences in these measures according to key demographic variables. RESULTS: Most commonly, 39% of patients intended to have (more) children, with similar proportions wanting to delay a first birth (20%) or postpone a second or higher order birth (19%). Some 31% of abortion patients had completed childbearing; they had one or more prior births and did not want to have any more children. Similar proportions of respondents were not sure if they wanted to have children (16%) or did not want to have any children (15%). Among abortion patients who had children, 14% had had a birth in the prior year. We estimate that as many as 77,800 short birth intervals were averted in 2014 because individuals had access to abortion. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the view that abortion allows individuals to plan and space their births according to their reproductive life plans and intentions. IMPLICATIONS: Access to abortion may help thousands of individuals in the United States avoid short birth intervals, potentially leading to improvements in maternal and child health.
Authors: James Studnicki; John W Fisher; Tessa Longbons; David C Reardon; Christopher Craver; Donna J Harrison Journal: J Prim Care Community Health Date: 2021 Jan-Dec
Authors: James Studnicki; John W Fisher; Tessa Longbons; David C Reardon; Donna J Harrison; Christopher Craver; Maka Tsulukidze; Ingrid Skop Journal: Health Serv Res Manag Epidemiol Date: 2021-07-23