Who seeks abortions at or after 20 weeks?

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Sociology
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• State legislatures are increasingly introducing bills to ban abortions after 20 weeks of gestation.
• Limited empirical data exist on the demographic and socioeconomic profiles of individuals affected by such bans.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify characteristics of women obtaining abortions at or after 20 weeks gestation.
• To understand the causes of delays in accessing abortion care.

Main Methods:

• Interviews with 272 women receiving abortions at or after 20 weeks gestation and 169 women receiving first-trimester abortions.
• Mixed-effects logistic regression and factor analysis to identify characteristics and profiles of women undergoing later abortions.

Main Results:

• Women aged 20-24 were more likely to have a later abortion (OR 2.7).
• Logistical challenges, including provider access and funding, contributed to delays.
• Common profiles for women seeking later abortions included single mothers, those with mental health or substance use issues, experiencing domestic violence, or facing decision-making and access barriers.

Conclusions:

• Twenty-week abortion bans will disproportionately affect young women.
• Women with limited financial resources are also disproportionately impacted by later abortion bans.