Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026

Auricular Point Acupressure Therapy: A Safe and Effective Treatment for Postsurgical Abortion Recovery
Published on: February 3, 2026
Effect of abortion protesters on women's emotional response to abortion
Diana Greene Foster1, Katrina Kimport, Heather Gould
1UCSF's Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, Oakland, CA 94612, USA. fosterd@obgyn.ucsf.edu
Background:
Little is known about women's experiences with and reactions to protesters and how protesters affect women's emotional responses to abortion.
Study Design:
We interviewed 956 women seeking abortion between 2008 and 2010 at 30 U.S. abortion care facilities and informants from 27 of these facilities.
Results:
Most facilities reported a regular protester presence; one third identified protesters as aggressive towards patients. Nearly half (46%) of women interviewed saw protesters; of those, 25% reported being "a little" upset, and 16% reported being "quite a lot" or "extremely" upset. Women who had difficulty deciding to abort had higher odds of reporting being upset by protesters. In multivariable models, exposure to protesters was not associated with differences in emotions 1 week after the abortion.
Conclusion:
Protesters do upset some women seeking abortion services. However, exposure to protesters does not seem to have an effect on women's emotions about the abortion 1 week later.
Related Concept Videos
Psychological Responses to Stress
Menopause
Coping Strategies: Emotion Focused
Ending Relationships
