Wisconsin patient perceptions of coercion in contraceptive care
Contraception
Awarded 2022
Emerging Scholars in Family Planning
Laura Swan, PhD, MSW
University of Wisconsin-Madison
$7,500

Dr. Laura Swan is a scholar who is committed to acting as a change agent for social justice and health equity. She has clinical experience as a hospital social worker and received her doctorate in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University. As a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, her work is focused on dismantling stratified reproduction, removing structural and interpersonal barriers to sexual and reproductive autonomy, and eliminating inequity in family planning care. Dr. Swan’s proposed study will examine the associations between patient perceptions of coercion in contraceptive care and reproductive autonomy in the state of Wisconsin—a jurisdiction where access to reproductive healthcare is jeopardized by restrictive policy and programming. Specifically, the study will assess the prevalence of coercion perceived by contraceptive patients, how these experiences may differ across demographic groups, and the associations between reports of coercive experiences, preferred contraception, and contraceptive satisfaction. Racial/ethnic, gender, and sexual minorities and people living in rural areas will also be targeted for recruitment in an attempt to oversample these groups that are often underrepresented in research and are also theorized as more likely to experience coercion in contraceptive care. By providing key information about perceived contraceptive coercion, this study lays the groundwork for future research and for policy and practice actions that promote health equity and reproductive autonomy and improve the quality of contraceptive care.