Intimate partner violence and time to making an abortion appointment in the United States

Intimate partner violence (IPV), the experience of physical and sexual violence, stalking, and/or psychological aggression within an existing or prior intimate relationship, may influence reproductive autonomy and abortion access. This study examined the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and time to scheduling abortion services for pregnant people in the United States (U.S).

Data come from the Guttmacher Institute's Abortion Patient Survey (APS), a nationally representative non-hospital sample of U.S. women seeking abortions in 2014 (n = 7013). We estimated survey-weighted logistic regression to model the association between IPV victimization (physical and sexual) and two-week delays in abortion scheduling, controlling for a variety of sociodemographic variables.

The prevalence of any IPV was 5.02 %, and 17.30 % of participants had abortion scheduling delays of at least two weeks. In bivariate models, experiencing IPV was associated with 1.62 times the odds of abortion scheduling delays compared to those who were not experiencing IPV (95 % CI 1.26, 2.09). In multivariable models controlling for sociodemographic covariates victimization was associated with 1.41 times the odds of abortion scheduling delays compared to non-victimization (95 % CI 1.06, 1.86).

IPV was associated with a 2-week delay in scheduling an abortion procedure following making the decision to obtain an abortion. In the increasingly restrictive policy climate, IPV-related delays in scheduling services may make abortions functionally inaccessible. Universal IPV screening and education provisions in healthcare settings (including primary care, gynecology and obstetrics) and community-based settings and for individuals seeking abortions are necessary to ensure timely access to safe and legal abortions.