Medication abortion (MA) is an extremely safe and effective abortion method and is the most common method in the US. However, despite the key role that abortion support providers can play in delivering person-centered care and meeting the unique support needs of MA clients, no studies have examined the gaps in MA support offerings in the US, and the role that in-person or remote abortion support providers may play in meeting these needs.
Between April and October 2018, Ibis researchers sought to address these gaps through in-depth interviews with 16 abortion support providers from a variety of abortion support organizations across the US. Most participants referred to themselves as abortion doulas, full-spectrum doulas, as having received abortion doula training, or as a member of an abortion doula collective. The type of support they provided included informational, emotional, physical, spiritual, and logistical support. Most participants provided care through city-based abortion support provider collectives, all of which were affiliated with a clinic or a group of clinics, while the rest offered care through talklines or worked for a clinic or as an independent abortion support provider. Six participants provided support in-person, five remotely, and five both remotely and in-person. The majority provided support in a volunteer capacity.
Participants noted potential feelings of loneliness or isolation among MA clients due to a lack of clinic-based support programs and the need for more abortion support providers. Many noted the benefits of remote support provision, including convenience, client comfort, safety, and anonymity, as well as the challenges, like the inability to provide referrals to local resources, difficulty assessing client wellbeing without touch and body language, and technological issues. One notable benefit of remote support provision was its potential to expand abortion support to MA clients who would not otherwise have easy access to support due to geographic distance, parenting responsibilities, and other barriers.
In the context of growing use of telemedicine MA care provision models in the US, it may be particularly crucial to increase remote medication abortion support offerings. Remote provision of MA is likely to become more common and necessary due to increasing restrictions post-Dobbs, and remote support delivery may be a promising method to serve clients in increasingly restrictive settings who might not otherwise have access to support services and who may already be utilizing telemedicine services to obtain MA pills. This model of care could also meet the needs of those self-sourcing pills and self-managing abortion in restricted settings where on-the-ground support services are not offered or not safe to utilize. While these services are medically safe, there are potential legal risks to abortion support providers and seekers in these contexts.
Read the full study here: ow.ly/rHlW50SFvS2 #IbisDrivesChange