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About 2.5 million women who become pregnant each year worldwide are HIV-positive. UNAIDS recommends that HIV-positive women should be able to control their fertility and to prevent HIV transmission perinatally if they decide to have children. Yet a literature review on these matters found that termination of pregnancy for HIV-positive women receives very little attention. This paper describes the difficulties faced by HIV-positive women in obtaining safe, affordable abortion services. It shows that HIV counselling and testing for women seeking family planning services, induced abortions and post-abortion care may not be provided. HIV-positive women wanting to avoid pregnancy for the same reasons as other women, but they also do not want to infect their partners through unprotected sex, worry about effects of pregnancy and childbirth on their own health, and about infecting a child and the child''s future care. Little research has been done on whether HIV-positive women have a greater risk of morbidity following unsafe abortions than HIV-negative women, but evidence suggests it might. Studies in Zimbabwe and Thailand show that when information and access to legal pregnancy termination are lacking, HIV-positive women may be prevented from terminating a pregnancy at all. The paper concludes that it is essential for women living with HIV/AIDS to be able to exercise their right to decide whether and when to have children. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper describes a prospective audit of all induced abortions performed between May and July 2000, in a Buckinghamshire district general hospital, to evaluate practice compared to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Guidelines ( RCOG Evidence-Based Guideline No. 7 , 2000). Areas for improvement were identified and department guidelines were produced to address these. This audit highlights how change can be implemented when local practice is audited against national guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under common law, a crime resulting in the death of a fetus that was viable but not "born alive" was viewed as a transgression less serious than murder. Accordingly, courts did not allow parents to bring wrongful death suits for the death of a fetus. In the past decade, however, several states have amended their criminal or civil statutes to include the specific crime of "feticide" or "fetal homicide," and the Federal government is considering similar legislation. This paper examines the history and current status of criminal and civil law regarding the third-party killing of a fetus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies common ground in feminist and disability movement concerns with the social and ethical implications of antenatal screening and abortion. By examining the frameworks used by particular authors within each area, I argue that they both can and do have a shared agenda, which is focused on the social values that are embedded in antenatal screening and promote abortion as the obvious choice to the diagnosis of a congenital condition. It is important to develop some kind of shared agenda in order to construct theoretical and methodological approaches, which pay equal attention to pregnant women (disabled and non-disabled) and disabled people. To aid the development of such an agenda I draw on Actor Network Theory (ANT), which focuses on analysing the role of sociotechnical networks in securing particular social values and moral worlds. The issue for both disability studies and feminism is what kind of screening networks produce moral worlds that promote abortion, shape women's choices and express discrimination against disabled people? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports results from six women who had miscarried and their partners in Melbourne. A qualitative approach, namely in-depth semi-structured interviews, was utilised to obtain information. Several themes emerged from the data. The findings of this study show that women and men experienced a variety of feelings in reaction before, during and after the miscarriage. These feelings varied in type, intensity, and duration in which the men generally experienced less intense feelings for a shorter period of time as compared to the women. We argue that support and counselling be provided not only for women who miscarry, but also for their male partner, as the men may have fewer means to express their grief due to the "social expectation" of male roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper purports to estimate the characteristics of women who had experiences of abortion in 1991 based on an economic model of fertility. The study makes use of a national survey on the knowledge of, attitude towards, and practice of family planning and reproductive health among married women in Taiwan. The results show that older women with higher family income and who live in urban areas were more likely to have the pregnancy terminated. In addition, the decision to have an abortion was negatively correlated with prior pregnancy loss, but positively associated with the number of previous live births. On the other hand, the availability of abortion services as measured by the number of legal abortion providers at city and county levels had a negative effect on the demand for abortions. The local female unemployment rate was found to be positively correlated with the woman's decision to have an abortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The FDA's approval of the drug known as mifepristone, or RU 486, brought the thirty-year-old abortion controversy in the U.S. to a new pitch. Available in France since 1988, it took American proponents another twelve years to secure governmental permission for the so-called "abortion pill." To better understand some of the implications of the legalization of an early-pregnancy abortifacient, this article examines pertinent aspects of the history of abortion in the U.S. The first section of the paper draws on a large body of historical literature, to review what we know about abortion in the American past, especially who had abortions, the methods most commonly used, and the repeated attempts to repress abortion. The second part of the article considers aspects of RU 486 in light of this U.S. history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been considerable discussion of the political allegiance between the feminist and disability movements, but the question of abortion remains a thorny one. Disability rights advocates have been keen to demonstrate that it is possible to believe in a woman's right to sovereignty over the body and, yet, be opposed to the selective abortion of an impaired foetus—discribing the latter as a form of 'weak' eugenics. The aim of this paper is to show that, whilst there may be some points of agreement between the feminist and disability movements on the question of abortion, there exist fundamental and irreconcilable differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the rise and use of a "woman-centred" anti-choice strategy to oppose abortion in Australia and the USA. It argues that this strategy seeks to imitate and exploit aspects of the pro-choice, women-centred position on abortion. The strategy contends that women do not really choose abortion but are pressured into it by others and then experience a range of negative effects afterwards, including an increased risk of breast cancer, infertility and post-abortion grief. Rather than evaluate the truth of such claims, this paper seeks to explicate from a feminist perspective the design, intent and implications of this strategy and how it is being used in legislative tactics, counselling, law suits and anti-choice activism. Such an analysis is necessary for pro-choice efforts to respond effectively to this new strategy, not only through literal rebuttals based on evidence, but also through responses that counter its ideological power. Cet article étudie la progression et l'utilisation d'une stratégie anti-avortement ≪ centrée sur les femmes ≫ en Australie et aux Etats-Unis; il avance que cette stratégie souhaite imiter et exploiter des aspects de la position pro-avortement centrée sur les femmes. La stratégie affirme que les femmes ne choisissent pas vraiment l'avortement, mais y sont incitées par d'autres et connaissent ensuite diverses séquelles, notamment un risque accru de cancer du sein, de stérilité et de dépression post-avortement. Plutôt que de se prononcer sur l'exactitude de ces affirmations, l'article explique dans une perspective féministe la conception, les intentions et les conséquences de cette stratégie et comment elle est utilisée dans des tactiques législatives, des consultations, des procès et des actions militantes anti-avortement. Cette analyse est nécessaire pour que les efforts en faveur de l'avortement répondent efficacement au mouvement qui s'y oppose, par des démentis fondés sur des preuves, mais aussi par des interventions pouvant contrer son pouvoir idéologique. Este artı́culo examina el surgimiento en Australia y los Estados Unidos de una estrategia en contra del aborto "centrada en la mujer", la cual pretende imitar y explotar aspectos de la posición a favor del derecho de decidir centrada en la mujer. La estrategia de oposición asevera que las mujeres no optan a abortar sino que están presionadas por otros y que posteriormente experimentan una gama de efectos secundarios negativos que incluyen un aumento en el riesgo de cáncer de mama, la infecundidad y un sentimiento de profundo pesar. En lugar de evaluar la certeza de dichas afirmaciones, este artı́culo busca explicar, desde una perspectiva feminista, el diseño, la intención y las implicaciones de esta estrategia, y cómo se utiliza en tácticas legislativas, servicios de consejerı́a, pleitos y diversas acciones en contra del aborto. Este análisis es necesario para que las acciones a favor del derecho de decidir respondan eficazmente al movimiento anti-aborto, no solamente mediante refutaciones literales basadas en evidencias, sino mediante respuestas capaces de contestar su poder ideológico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1945, at the end of the Second World War, Albania had the highest fertility in Europe with an average of more than six live births per woman. However when Albania emerged from behind the 'olive curtain' in 1990, fertility had fallen to three children per woman, despite a pro-natalist environment and in the virtual 'absence of Contraception and abortion. Nevertheless, after five decades, Albania's position at the top of the European fertility league remains unchanged. This paper documents the fertility transition in Albania during the period 1950-90 and places the demographic results in the context of recent socioeconomic and cultural change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Great Replacement conspiracy theory, nonwhites, globalists and elites are plotting to eliminate the white race and its dominance through anti-white policies and increased immigration. In that context, abortion among white women is perceived by white nationalists (WN) as a betrayal of their 'biological' and 'traditional' gender role – procreation of white babies. While WN condemn abortion among white women as a murderous sin, at times they encourage the practice among nonwhites to solve demographic threats to white dominance. In this study, we use mixed methods, combining unsupervised machine learning with close textual analysis of 30,725 posts including the term 'abortion' published on the WN website Stormfront between 2001 and 2017. We identify three broad themes: White genocide, focused on the conspiracy theory and detailing the active actors in its alleged execution; political, focused on political agendas and laws; and WN reproductive reasoning, articulating and justifying the contradiction between supporting abortion for nonwhites but not for whites via politics of difference that emphasize nonwhites' supposed inferior morality. We discuss WN's unique and explicitly racist discourse around a medical topic like abortion, a staple of the conservative and religious right for decades, and how it is used to alleviate their cognitive dissonance resulting from their dual-stance on abortion. Such discourse could be harnessed to recruit members into the movement and normalize extreme, racist ideologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the potential consequences of the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organisation decision on abortion laws in the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). It focuses on the legal implications of the Dobbs judgment and does not review the morality or ethics of abortion. The article explores the position of abortion in the ECtHR and the absence of an explicit right to abortion in the European Convention on Human Rights. It suggests that political pressure and evolving social values could influence the ECtHR's approach to abortion rights and discusses the interplay between national courts and the ECtHR. The article also examines the issue of the status of the fetus and the balancing of rights between the mother and the fetus. It concludes by discussing the potential impact of the Dobbs case in the US on the ECtHR's approach to abortion rights. [Extracted from the article]

This article will review reasons why it is argued that the law on abortion on the grounds of disability is discriminatory, as well as recent unsuccessful attempts to address this discrimination in the law. These attempts include ones which would have moderately restricted access to abortion in certain limited cases, and another that might have opened to door to a number of different possibilities, including both to options that could have restricted access to abortion, and to other options that might have increased access. Finally, this article will also examine reasons why some of the most important challenges surrounding disability equality cannot be sufficiently addressed through legal change alone. While there are strong reasons to support some form of change in the law, a more foundational change in values is necessary if we want to live in a more ethical society that is truly capable of welcoming disabled children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, prompted by Heidi Crowter's campaign to eliminate the discriminatory aspects of current abortion law, outlines the challenges to good governance in a context of bioethical plurality. First, the nature of the plurality is sketched. Secondly, some reflections are presented on how those who have governance responsibilities might ease the tensions engendered by the plurality; and, at the same time, how the discontented governed might reasonably press their views. Thirdly, a model of good governance (demanding integrity by those who govern and respect for the global commons) is introduced. The conclusion is that good faith governance merits our respect, but it does not guarantee particular outcomes or positions that will meet with the approval of all bioethical constituencies or individuals. Accordingly, we have to learn not only to live with rocks and hard places but also to find civilized ways of debating our differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on ethnographic findings from an American Orthodox Christian community, I examine how forms of intimate reproductive compromise facilitate the assertive refusal to negotiate on abortion. The American Orthodox harness the values and practices of biomedicine to validate their refusal of abortion, but their inflexible views emerge from prior compromises. By not giving up modern contraception, women self-fashion forms of piety that allow them to navigate composite identities while remaining dedicated to a pro-life stance. That steadfast refusal of abortion may be the consequence of previous concessions opens up new ways of theorizing refusal as inextricably bound to – rather than exclusive of – prior compromises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Latin American & Caribbean Studies (Routledge) is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, individuals with autism experience unique barriers to accessing abortion for rape-related pregnancies in states restricting reproductive health care. Barriers to reporting rape include inadequate sex education which contributes to a lack of information about sexual violence (SV), difficulties labeling and recognizing SV, and potential difficulties navigating the role of a caregiver or conservator when reporting SV. Individuals with autism often experience a lack of equitable support from formal SV support services. Both barriers to reporting and lack of equitable support from formal SV support services reflect that individuals with autism are marginalized and often overlooked when receiving sexual and reproductive health care. Suggestions are provided for sexuality educators, SV support services, police, healthcare providers and policymakers, for better supporting individuals with autism experiencing rape-related pregnancy in states with abortion restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hepatitis B virus remains a major public health problem due to a variety of risk factors, which we aimed to investigate in Dessie City Administration, Ethiopia. Unmatched case-control study was conducted from February to May 2021 using systematic random sampling. The data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, then cleaned using EpiData version 4.6.0 and exported to SPSS version 25.0 for analysis. The odds ratio with a 95 percent CI was used to determine the association between the independent and outcome variables. A total of 421 participants (105 cases and 316 controls) were enrolled. A history of having multiple sexual partners (AOR = 4.64; 95 percent CI: 2.64–8.14); a history of abortion (AOR = 3.18; 95 percent CI: 1.78–5.66); the presence of a hepatitis B carrier in the family (AOR = 8.70; 95 percent CI: 4.26–17.77); a history of hospitalization (AOR = 2.98; 95 percent CI: 1.56–5.69); and retroviral seropositivity (AOR = 3.68; 95 percent CI: 1.55–8.74) were independent risk factors for having hepatitis B virus infection. In conclusion, antenatal infection with the virus was found to be determined by the number of sexual partners, abortion and hospitalization, hepatitis B carriers in the family, and retroviral seropositivity, which dictates the need for integrated community-wide intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores consciousness raising in the Boston Globe's Confidential Chat column, documenting how, during the second wave of feminism, it became a venue where women educated themselves about reproductive health. The Chat's nonhierarchical, participatory nature allowed women to discuss abortion, contraception, infertility, and related topics during a time when the role of women in society was undergoing profound change. Boston's deep Catholic roots added complexities to these discussions. The findings provide historical context for modern social media discourse around reproductive choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two of the most influential arguments in favour of the permissibility of abortion were put forward in the latter half of the twentieth century by Judith Jarvis Thomson and Mary Anne Warren. The implications of these arguments for unwilling putative fathers have largely not been considered. Some have argued that Thomson's defence of abortion might allow a man under certain circumstances to terminate his parental responsibilities and rights. To my knowledge, nobody has considered the implications of Warren's argument for men. I will consider the implications of both arguments for men. I will argue that if they are successful defences of abortion then they are also successful in justifying a male counterpart to abortion which I label ‘elective abandonment’. I will not be defending or attacking these arguments as defences of abortion, but will defend the claim that they apply as well to elective abandonment as they do to abortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the surprisingly great variation in demographic character across the states, utilizing data on fertility, mortality, age, sex, mobility, household character, abortion, race and ethnicity. A fairly simple regional pattern is revealed that is less related to levels of economic development than to long-standing historical cultural differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current abortion controversy revolves around the opposing issues ofa woman's self- determination vs. the right of a fetus to be born. The thesis of this paper is that whet her a fetus is aborted or delivered depends to a great degree on how social groups and individuals construct its nature. If the fetus is "constructed" as a person it will be born; if it is viewed as something else it may be aborted. The paper examines how "person" is defined in philosophy, and how law and medicine have dealt with the human fetus. A "vocabulary of motives" is discussed as well as what happens when personhood is withdrawn, the consequences of "depersonalization" as seen in slavery and the Holocaust Finally, social characteristics and attitudes of the opposing groups who define the human fetus as a per- son or as a thing are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the decision process in problem pregnancies, based on the decision-making model of Brim et al. (1962). The study compares 29 aborters with 29 women who chose to give birth. The women were interviewed by means of a 7-page schedule designed to elicit answers to questions taken from the literature on abortion and from reference group theory. The research found that women confronted with problem pregnancies go through decision stages and that certain social influences discriminate the two groups. The most noteworthy discriminators were source of information, relationship to the male, beliefs about the beginning of human life, perception of the decision as individual or joint and attitudes toward abortion. Other variables associated with the decision were age, education, father's income, father's occupation, number of alternatives considered, and influence reported, as from parents or peers. Implications for further research and practical application are discussed. A woman with an unwanted pregnancy should acquaint herself with all alternatives, seek support from significant others, be apprised of procedures, and recognize costs involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hausa women residing in the northern Nigerian town of Zaria have a range of traditional and modern contraceptive methods, as well as alternatives such as abortion, available to them for controlling fertility. Whether they actually avail themselves of these options, however, relates to the contemporaneous social, economic, political and religious context in which the meanings of contraceptive choice and constraint are constructed. For example, young, unmarried Hausa Muslim women attending secondary school are constrained by social conventions that both ostracise those with premarital pregnancies and discourage discussion of sexuality and consequently contraceptive use. Married Hausa women in Zaria who attend adult Islamic education classes may be encouraged to practice withdrawal but not to use modern contraceptive methods such as pills or condoms. While the former is considered acceptable because of its specific mention in Islamic texts, other forms of contraceptives are viewed with suspicion both for health reasons and as symbols of Western hegemony. While some Muslim Hausa women with both Western and Islamic education are beginning to put forth their own ideas about proper Islamic practice of contraception, a prevailing gender ideology supports the view that decisions regarding these matters are appropriately made by men. This paper focuses on the interpretations of contraceptives made by Muslim Hausa women in Zaria, Nigeria, and on the underlying factors that support their perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the therapeutic and diagnostic aspects of the preabortion interview, giving attention to those specifics which will help identify students with the greatest likelihood for psychological sequelae and/or repeat abortions. The circumstances of the pregnancy change what should be o "normative life crisis" in a planned pregnancy into an acute emotionally and physically intrusive crisis when it is unwanted. The openness of sexually active partners on today's campuses, along with liberalized abortion laws, have generated a sharply increased demand for abortions, and o significant population of young college women seek help from their Student Health Services. Rising expectations for care require optimal coordination of Gynecology and Mental Health Clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes developments in French policy on contraception and abortion during the occupation and since the liberation. It includes an account of the relevant legislation and the resulting medical, judicial and police activity, as well as some information regarding abortees and abortionists. The latter, of necessity, relates only to cases which have come to the attention of the authorities or the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reproductive coercion encompasses a collection of pregnancy promoting and pregnancy avoiding behaviours. Coercion may vary in severity and be perpetrated by intimate partners or others. Research is complicated by the inclusion of behaviours that do not necessarily involve an intention to influence reproduction, such as contraceptive sabotage. These behaviours are the most common, but are not always included in survey instruments. This may explain why the prevalence of reproductive coercion varies widely. Prevalence also varies when coerced abortion is included in survey instruments. When it is, it seems roughly comparable in prevalence to coercion intended to impregnate. The extent and nature of coerced abortion can also be derived from studies that explore the reasons why women access abortion, the relationship between abortion and intimate partner violence, and online blogs and forums. This narrative review of reproductive coercion examines the evidence and attempts to comprehend why coerced abortion has been neglected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What do women contribute when constitutions are written? How can they make their voices and proposals heard? Can feminism shape constitutional law? These are the main questions in the narrative of the feminist movement's participation in the shaping of the 1991 Colombian Constitution. The objective of the essay is to recover the role of women in lawmaking while applying a gender lens to historical methodologies, by using documental evidence from the national archives and newspapers to uncover their actions and voices, as well as conducting interviews with feminist leaders in Colombia active during the 1990s. These findings show the repertoires of action of the women's movement taking advantage of a crucial political opportunity to write constitutional law, as well as the obstacles and trade-offs they faced to advance women's human rights in Colombia's new charter. The essay argues that, despite the strategic feminist mobilization to include women's reproductive rights in the Constitution, the political alliances outside (and inside) the National Constitutional Assembly between the Liberal Party and the Catholic Church blocked some of their demands, especially with regard to voluntary motherhood. The conclusions identify the feminist heritage of the new constitutional order that emerged as a result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a significant public health problem, repeat-induced abortion is a challenge to women's sexual and reproductive health. Despite many studies in this area, they lack consensus regarding risk factors for repeat-induced abortion. A global systematic review was conducted to analyze prevalence of repeat-induced abortion among women worldwide and determine correlated risk factors. Three electronic databases were systematically searched. Data on prevalence of repeat-induced abortion and related factors were extracted and pooled using a meta-analysis and narrative approach. Sixty-five (which were published between 1972 and 2021) of 3,706 articles were included, consisting of a total of 535,308 participants from 25 countries. The overall pooled prevalence of repeat-induced abortion was 31.3 percent (95 percent CI 25.7 percent, 36.9 percent). Of 57 exposures extracted, 33 factors were significantly correlated with repeat induced abortion, comprising 14 individual demographic factors (i.e. age, education, marriage, etc.), three reproductive history-related factors (i.e. parity, age at sexual debut, and time since sexual debut), five contraception-related factors (i.e. contraceptive use at sexual debut, attitude toward contraceptive use, etc.), four abortion-related factors (i.e. age at the index abortion, previous abortion at the index abortion, etc.), and seven sexual partner-related factors (i.e. multiple sexual partners, sexual partner's age, etc.). The study findings highlight the problem of repeat-induced abortion worldwide and suggest the need for government and civil society in each country to increase efforts to reduce the alarming risk of repeat-induced abortion among women and improve their sexual and reproductive health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During Vladimir Putin's presidency, and in particular since the enthronement of Patriarch Kirill (2009), the Russian Orthodox Church has invested considerable energy and prestige in its fight against abortion. Nevertheless, the strategy adopted by the ROC seems ill-conceived and in many ways has proved counterproductive in terms of the goals which the ROC has set itself. While certain restrictions on the right to abortion have been introduced under Putin, this has been a far cry from the complete abortion ban advocated by the ecclesiastical leadership under Patriarch Kirill and supported by virtually all Orthodox believers who have expressed themselves publicly. At the same time, survey results as well as circumstantial evidence suggest that most Russians, including many who declare themselves to be Orthodox, have been reluctant to support a campaign for a ban on abortion. When the church leaders have failed to impress the public or the politicians, they have not readjusted their message towards more accommodating positions. The top hierarchs have been deeply involved in the anti-abortion drive and there are few signs of disagreements within the ROC leadership on this issue. However, the abortion issue threatens to sour relations between the ROC and the Putin regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This quantitative study examined relationships among method safety, peri-abortion family planning counseling, immediate post-abortion family planning method adoption, and current modern contraception use among girls and women in Ghana. Our data comprised a sample of 1,416 abortion-seekers aged 15 to 49 years from the 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Survey. Results from binary logistic regression analyses suggest that those who adopted post-abortion contraception were more likely to be current users of contraception than those who did not. Also, although counterintuitive, girls and women using a safe abortion method were less likely to be current user of contraception than those using unsafe abortion methods. By induction, young women's vulnerability that underpins unsafe abortions translated into seeking contraception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: No studies have assessed the need for abortion access at California Community Colleges (CCCs), despite recent research and legislative attention toward on-campus medication abortion access at California's public universities, and the fact that CCCs enroll more than twice the number of students per year as the public universities. Methods: A demographic analysis compares student populations at California's public universities and CCCs using publicly-available data. Monthly demand for medication abortion among CCC students is estimated based on campus enrollment data, and age-, method- and state-adjusted abortion rates. Results: There is demographic similarity amongst these student populations with respect to gender and age makeup, supporting the use of methods created to estimate abortion demand in California public university students in this study. It is estimated that in total, CCC students seek 865 − 1,109 medication abortions each month. Conclusions: There is a clear need for medication abortion access at CCCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, millions of unintended pregnancies result in unsafe abortions each year. In Sierra Leone, abortion-related complications are a major driver of maternal mortality. Despite these costs, women continue to seek unsafe abortions, yet how individuals understand the risks and benefits of pregnancy termination remains under-researched. This study seeks to understand perceptions of abortion by women and men experiencing unplanned pregnancy and to highlight factors that inform their abortion trajectories. Findings indicate that abortion was contemplated in response to anxieties regarding caring for a child, interruptions to schooling, and stigma associated with extra-marital pregnancy. While many women and men preferred not to abort—due to cultural values tied to parenthood—others faced obstacles stemming from lack of knowledge of and access to services. Findings can be used to inform interventions to support women and men in realising their fertility preferences in the face of unplanned pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liberal common sense sees the absence of conversations about abortion in schools as the consequence of a taboo that leaves teenage girls uninformed and silenced. From this perspective, the solution is to systematically introduce the subject of abortion in sex education curricula in order to provide information, resources and discussion on the schools' terms. Using post-structuralist theory, I argue that what might be needed instead is a certain ‘side-spreading’, rather than an official understanding, of the subject of abortion in schools. I aim to de-naturalise dominant liberal discourse by making transparent the links between sex education and ‘populational reasoning’, considering powers of production, questioning the position of schools as official holders and spreaders of approved knowledge about sex, and inviting possibilities to ‘de-territorialise’ and ‘re-territorialise’ the subject of abortion in unpredictable ways. This paper is composed of personal reflections, poems and theoretical explorations that challenge the predetermined nature of sex education curricula. Arguments for loosening the subject of abortion through multiple discourses and modes of expression are mirrored by the fragmented, genre-crossing form this paper takes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper focuses on the experiences of a graduate student and a professor who engaged in a thought exercise about found poetry. Through the contemplation of nine found poems that were extracted from the professor’s doctoral research on abortion providers, they consider how found poetry can be read, interpreted, and experienced. The potential role of found poetry for social work research and practice is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

University faculty are considered trusted sources of information to disseminate accurate information to the public that abortion is a common, safe and necessary medical health care service. However, misinformation persists about abortion's alleged dangers, commonality, and medical necessity. Systematic review of popular media articles related to abortion, gun control (an equally controversial topic), and cigarette use (a more neutral topic) published in top U.S. newspapers between January 2015 and July 2020 using bivariate analysis and logistic regression to compare disclosure of university affiliation among experts in each topic area. We included 41 abortion, 102 gun control, and 130 smoking articles, which consisted of 304 distinct media mentions of university-affiliated faculty. Articles with smoking and gun control faculty experts had statistically more affiliations mentioned (90%, n = 195 and 88%, n = 159, respectively) than abortion faculty experts (77%, n = 54) (p = 0.02). The probability of faculty disclosing university affiliation was similar between smoking and gun control (p = 0.73), but between smoking and abortion was significantly less (Ave Marginal Effects – 0.13, p = 0.02). Fewer faculty members disclose their university affiliation in top U.S. newspapers when discussing abortion. Lack of academic disclosure may paradoxically make these faculty appear less 'legitimate.' This leads to misinformation, branding abortion as a 'choice,' suggesting it is an unessential medical service. With the recent U.S. Supreme Court landmark decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, and subsequent banning of abortion in many U.S. states, faculty will probably be even less likely to disclose their university affiliation in the media than in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pregnancy loss is exceptionally common, yet there exist few interventions for clinical providers to assist parents who are expecting again. Perhaps even less prevalent are practice models for parents who have terminated a pregnancy due to fetal anomaly (TOPFA). In this article, we present the "Double Rainbow" acronym, which provides evidence-supported guidance for counseling people experiencing a subsequent pregnancy after TOPFA. Using prompts of: Remember; Rehearse & Anticipate; Attach & Internalize; Interrogate decision; Neutralize; Normalize; Bond; Breathe & Observe; Optimize health; Weave and Whole story, we tie intervention techniques to evidence-based treatments and clinical practice examples. Filling a gap for guidance for effective intervention with people during subsequent pregnancies after termination of pregnancy due to fetal anomaly, we aim to improve such treatment while also encouraging evaluation of the approach, encouraging evaluation of its use with broader populations. The double RAINBOW approach weaves together evidence-based therapies while also attending to the work of distinguishing past losses and promoting parental attachment and caregiving systems in clients who have terminated a pregnancy due to fetal anomaly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay centers the legal and coalitional strategies of Black feminist Civil Rights attorney Florynce Kennedy in pre-Roe v. Wade abortion rights advocacy. Examining the depositional records of the 1969 case Abramowitz v. Lefkowitz and its subsequent distillation into the 1971 book Abortion Rap, we demonstrate how Kennedy's rhetorical tactics enabled white women's reproductive experiences to be intelligible—but centered—as expertise in the legal domain. Kennedy's lines of questioning enabled feelings about unwanted pregnancies to become intelligible as expertise, challenging the authority of established experts. Kennedy impatiently leveraged her expert knowledge of the legal system to manage the state's objections that threatened the well-being of witnesses and integrity of the case. While Abortion Rap appealed to the intersections of Black women's reproductive concerns, it also hindered the possibility for coalitional trust to be built between legal experts and Black Power activists around abortion advocacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scope of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) could expand in the future to include detailed analysis of the fetal genome. This will allow for the testing for virtually any trait with a genetic contribution, including "non-medical" traits. Here we discuss the potential use of NIPT for these traits. We outline a scenario which highlights possible inconsistencies with ethical decision-making. We then discuss the case against permitting these uses. The objections include practical problems; increasing inequities; increasing the burden of choice; negative impacts on the child, family, and society; and issues with implementation. We then outline the case for permitting the use of NIPT for these traits. These include arguments for reproductive liberty and autonomy; questioning the labeling of traits as "non-medical"; and the principle of procreative beneficence. This summary of the case for and against can serve as a basis for the development of a consistent and coherent ethical framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines two cases that present ethical challenges encountered by social workers in making decisions either to maintain professional boundaries or fulfil moral obligations while working with service users in vulnerable situations. In the first case, a Lebanese social worker narrates how she was motivated to step out of her official responsibilities to assist a refugee mother of three who showed suicidal ideation. In the second case, a Ugandan social worker recounts her experience while working with a family whose 12-year-old daughter was raped and became pregnant, but whose parents refused to accept abortion when medical diagnosis showed that the girl's life was in danger. A commentary from the authors is provided after each case. Both social workers were arguably motivated to act based on their concern to care for people, protect human rights, and save lives in the two case scenarios. This underscores the relevance of the ethics of care and virtue ethics in describing the associated ethical challenges in both cases. Furthermore, the dynamic nature of the ethical challenges encountered by the social workers demands open minds and flexibility in decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Malta has become the world's leading country for LGBTIQ rights while also being one of the few places in the world where abortion remains illegal under any circumstance. Building on studies which focus on Latin America, this article analyses why this small EU country has become socially liberal in many aspects while abortion remains taboo with a majority of the population holding anti-abortion views. First, we outline the Maltese political system, a two-party system where single-party governments have enjoyed absolute control over parliamentary business for 60 years and where the Catholic Church is obliged, under the Constitution, to teach what is right and wrong. We then analyze whether issue networks, framing and timing provide an adequate framework within which to explain this difference in public policy before concluding on the short-term prospects of Malta changing its ban on abortion, especially as political support remains for the ban to be incorporated into the constitution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the relationship between a history of induced abortion and follow-up preterm birth. We performed a retrospective cohort study of 27,176 women aged 19 to 48 years old in the city of Dongguan. Participants were divided into two groups according to the history of induced abortion. We used log-binomial regression to estimate adjusted risk ratios of preterm birth (gestation at less than 37 weeks) and early preterm birth (gestation at less than 34 weeks) for women with a history of induced abortion. Four models adjusted for different baseline data were used to verify the stability of the results. We also performed a subgroup analysis and mediation effect analysis to control for the influence of confounding factors and analyzed the relationship between the number of abortions and subsequent preterm birth. Our study included 2,985 women who had undergone a prior induced abortion. Women who reported having a prior induced abortion were more likely to have preterm births before 37 weeks and 34 weeks, with risk ratios of 1.18 (95% CI 1.02–1.36) and 1.65 (95% CI 1.23–2.21), respectively. The above associations were stable in all models. We also found that a history of induced abortion was independently associated with a higher risk of preterm birth and early preterm birth in the subgroups. After controlling for the indirect effect of demographic data, the direct effect of abortion history on follow-up preterm delivery was still significantly different. The higher the number of abortions, the greater the risk of subsequent preterm birth. This study suggests that induced abortion increases the risk of subsequent preterm birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the concordance of conventional autopsy (CA) and postmortem magnetic resonance (MR) after termination of pregnancy (TOP) in fetuses with prenatally detected central nervous system (CNS) anomalies. Second, to determine the most informative postmortem investigation in parental counseling. All TOPs between 2006 and 2016 with prenatally detected CNS involvement and having a postmortem MR and CA as postmortem examinations were retrospectively analyzed and concordance levels were established. Of 764 TOPs, 255 cases had a CNS anomaly detected prenatally (33.4%). Fetal genetic anomalies (n = 40) and cases without both postmortem MR and CA were excluded, leaving 68 cases for analysis. Disagreement between postmortem MR and CA was observed in 22 cases (32.4%). In eight cases (11.8%), more information was obtained by CA compared with MR. However, only two cases with major additional findings were found when compared with prenatal diagnosis. In 14 cases (20.6%), MR was superior to CA either because of additional cerebral anomalies undetected by CA (n = 5) and/or because of severe autolysis hindering pathology of the CNS (n = 9). Our data point out that an adequate postmortem evaluation, valuable in parental counseling, can be provided by a postmortem MR in 97% of the cases. An adequate postmortem evaluation, valuable in parental counseling, can be provided by a postmortem (PM) magnetic resonance (MR) in the majority of cases. PM MR is an excellent postmortem imaging tool for the brain. In cases with brain autolysis, PM MR is often the only informative PM investigation tool. PM MR is an essential adjunct to CA in the PM evaluation of pregnancies terminated for a central nervous system (CNS) anomaly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To demonstrate the surgical and morbidity differences between upper and lower parametrial placenta invasion (PPI). Forty patients with placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) into the parametrium underwent surgery between 2015 and 2020. Based on the peritoneal reflection, the study compared two types of parametrial placental invasion (PPI), upper or lower. Surgical approach to PAS follows a conservative-resective method. Before delivery, surgical staging by pelvic fascia dissection established a final diagnosis of placental invasion. In upper PPI cases, the team attempted to repair the uterus after resecting all invaded tissues or performing a hysterectomy. In cases of lower PPI, experts performed a hysterectomy in all cases. The team only used proximal vascular (aortic occlusion) control in cases of lower PPI. Surgical dissection for lower PPI started finding the ureter in the pararectal space, ligating all the tissues (placenta and newly formed vessels) to create a tunnel to release the ureter from the placenta and placenta suppletory vessels. Overall, at least three pieces of the invaded area were sent for histological analysis. Forty patients with PPI were included, 13 in the upper parametrium and 27 in the lower parametrium. MRI indicated PPI in 33/40 patients; in three, the diagnosis was presumed by ultrasound or medical background. The intrasurgical staging categorizes 13 cases of PPI performed and finds diagnosis in seven undetected cases. The expertise team completed a total hysterectomy in 2/13 upper PPI cases and all lower PPI cases (27/27). Hysterectomies in the upper PPI group were performed by extensive damage of the lateral uterine wall or with a tube compromise. Ureteral injury ensued in six cases, corresponding to cases without catheterization or incomplete ureteral identification. All aortic vascular proximal control (aortic balloon, internal aortic compression, or aortic loop) was efficient for controlling bleeding; in contrast, ligature of the internal iliac artery resulted in a useless procedure, resulting in uncontrollable bleeding and maternal death (2/27). All patients had antecedents of placental removal, abortion, curettage after a cesarean section, or repeated D&C. Lower PAS parametrial involvement is uncommon but associated with elevated maternal morbidity. Upper and lower PPI has different surgical risks and technical approaches; consequently, an accurate diagnosis is needed. The clinical background of manual placental removal, abortion, and curettage after a cesarean or repeated D&C could be ideally studied to diagnose a possible PPI. For patients with high-risk antecedents or unsure ultrasound, a T2 weight MRI is always recommended. Performing comprehensive surgical staging in PAS allows the efficient diagnosis of PPI before using some procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]