April J. Bell has designed and implemented data collection and evaluation systems in domestic and international settings. She received her BA in Human Biology from Stanford University, her MPH with a dual concentration in Epidemiology and Social and Behavioral Sciences from the School of Medicine at Indiana University (IU) and is a PhD candidate in ...Read more >

Women ages 18-29 years, Black women, and those of low social status have the highest rates of unintended pregnancy in the US. Enhancing our understanding of young Black women’s family planning care experiences is crucial to improving the quality of patient care and health outcomes and reducing reproductive health disparities. When young age is combined ...Read more >

Reports show that teen pregnancy rates have been declining in the US for the past two decades. However, this broad brushstroke statistic does not reflect rural America, specifically rural Missouri. Twenty-two rural Missouri counties have teen pregnancy rates well above the national average of 43 per 1,000 and 14 of those counties saw an increase ...Read more >

Nationwide rates of incarceration for women have increased compared to rates of their male counterparts. Women in jails and prisons across the US are often of reproductive age and disproportionately include ethnic minorities who are less educated and often impoverished, creating one of the most vulnerable populations in our country. Multiple studies have demonstrated high ...Read more >

The majority of Americans believe that women should be able to choose freely between abortion and pregnancy. However, for many women, this ”choice” is simply unavailable. There are a multitude of barriers to abortion access in the US, which in effect, prevent women from making their own decisions about pregnancy. These barriers include the availability ...Read more >

While recent studies show that there are barriers identified to providing medical abortions, there are clinics and physicians that overcome these barriers to provide the service. Prior research has not specifically identified barriers preventing doctors from providing medical abortions in South Dakota. Currently, Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota (PPMNS) is the sole provider ...Read more >

Historically, the field of family planning has not considered the role of sexual identity in shaping family planning needs. Given that roughly 20% of women under 30 identify as something other than heterosexual and face reproductive health disparities, family planning must be attuned to the needs of this population. Sexual minority women, including lesbian and ...Read more >

Access to dilation and evacuation is limited in most of the US. Induction termination (also referred to as medical abortion or labor induction) is an acceptable alternative to dilation and evacuation as a method for second-trimester abortion and may be preferable to dilation and evacuation for some patients. Induction termination is typically offered to patients ...Read more >

Approximately, 1,038 students from California’s public universities access abortion off-campus every month and of those students, 519 received a medication abortion. Yet no university in California offers clinical abortion care at a student health center on-campus. The limited research assessing barriers to medication abortion among California students indicates that cost, distanced traveled, and delays in ...Read more >

Importance: Access to safe abortion has declined in New England states such as Maine and New Hampshire, where there has been a 20% decrease in the number of abortion clinics between 2011 and 2014.1 This is a core public health issue that affects racial and ethnic minorities and low SES women disproportionately. Primary care physicians ...Read more >