Supporting access and experience of self-managed abortion post-Dobbs among Latinx migrant populations in the US
Abortion
Awarded 2023
Self-managed abortion, post-Dobbs
Xiana Bueno, PhD
Indiana University
$49,906

Despite several attempts to restrict abortion post-Dobbs, self-managed abortion is an important option for those seeking abortion care in the US as a result of: (1) increasing geographical and state-level legal disparities in access to and provision of legal abortion, and (2) exacerbation of inequalities in abortion access and care for the most vulnerable and marginalized populations. This research proposal aims to generate evidence to support Latinx migrants’ access and experiences when considering self-managed abortion. Latinx migrants experience a variety of factors of vulnerability in reproductive healthcare access as a result of language and communication barriers, lack of healthcare access, unfamiliarity with the US healthcare system, mistrust of healthcare providers due to anti-immigrant sentiment and discrimination, or even exposure to sexual violence during migration, among others. Thus, we propose to conduct 60 in-depth interviews in Spanish with Latinx migrants who have self-managed their abortion or are considering or seeking self-managed abortion. We propose to qualitatively explore their perceptions, preferences, and experiences to gain first-hand evidence of the challenges and concerns that this community faces in access to, or when considering a, self-managed abortion. By being inclusive, elevating, and allowing this community to express themselves in their own language, this research will provide key insights to help service audiences (ie, healthcare providers, social workers, migrant support organizations) develop better measures and communication strategies that are accessible, linguistically appropriate, and culturally relevant to ensure this population gets the information and health care they need regarding self-managed abortion.