Examining post-Dobbs later abortion service delivery through a case study of a large abortion fund
Abortion
Awarded 2023
Later abortion service delivery, post-Dobbs
Katrina Kimport, PhD, MA
University of California, San Francisco
$50,000

People need abortion care throughout pregnancy. Most abortions take place in the first trimester, but there is a persistent and irreducible need for abortion care after 13 weeks. Research shows that later abortion seekers encounter formidable barriers to care, particularly related to paying for abortion, and that abortion funds have long played a key role in supporting their ability to obtain care. The 2022 Dobbs decision is likely to be particularly consequential for abortion seeking after 13 weeks’ gestation, leading to an increase in the number of people needing later abortion care, a shift in the population characteristics of later abortion seekers, and ongoing, exacerbated, and new barriers to care specific to seeking abortion at 13+ weeks’ gestation. With these changes, the role of and need for abortion funds is likely to grow. To ensure that abortion funds can meet these challenges most effectively, the proposed study will conduct a mixed methods case study of a large abortion fund in the Greater District of Columbia area. We will 1) analyze seven years of caller records (n=approximately 40,000) for later abortion seeking rates and seeker characteristics pre- and post-Dobbs; and 2) conduct and analyze key informant interviews with case managers to identify new, increased, and ongoing barriers to later abortion among callers. Results will inform later abortion service delivery practices and policies, particularly related to abortion funds, as well as contribute to identifying and reducing barriers to abortion for people seeking abortion care after the first trimester.