State-Mandated (Mis)Information and Women's Endorsement of Common Abortion Myths.

Purpose: The extent that state-mandated informed consent scripts affect women's knowledge about abortion is unknown. We examine women's endorsement of common abortion myths before and after receiving state-mandated information that included accurate and inaccurate statements about abortion.

Methods: In Utah, women presenting for an abortion information visit completed baseline surveys (n = 494) and follow-up interviews 3 weeks later (n = 309).

Predictors of abortion counseling receipt and helpfulness in the United States.

Background: Little is known about women's expectations, needs, and experiences with abortion counseling and the factors that influence their experiences.

Methods: This study sought to investigate individual- and facility-level factors that influenced women's reports of receiving abortion counseling and the helpfulness of counseling. Data were drawn from quantitative interviews with 718 patients recruited from 30 abortion facilities, and 27 interviews with facility informants in the United States.

Pregnancy options counseling for adolescents: overcoming barriers to care and preserving preference.

Current clinical guidelines for counseling adolescent patients about their pregnancy options fail to give concrete suggestions for how to begin and hold conversations that support patient autonomy, provide accurate and unbiased information, and address barriers to care. Recent research suggests that relative to adult women, adolescents are at increased risk of being denied abortion because they present beyond facilities' gestational age limits. Counseling that neglects to address the structural and developmental challenges that adolescents face when seeking care may contribute to the risk of abortion denial as well as subsequent delays in prenatal care.

Patient education and emotional support practices in abortion care facilities in the United States.

Purpose: Little is known about how patient education and emotional support is provided at abortion facilities. This pilot study documents 27 facilities' practices in this aspect of abortion care.

Methods: We conducted confidential telephone interviews with staff from 27 abortion facilities about their practices.

Addressing the silence in the noise: how abortion support talklines meet some women's needs for non-political discussion of their experiences.

Abortion is a frequent topic in political discourse, but few opportunities are available for women to discuss their complex emotions and experiences concerning abortion. Popular belief holds that many women need "counseling" about their decision to have an abortion, but little systematic after-abortion emotional care is available. The authors of this study conducted semi-structured interviews (N = 7) and focus groups (N = 2; 13 participants) with staff members and volunteer counselors at four abortion support talklines between February 2009 and March 2010 for their insights into the post-abortion needs of callers.

Effect of shared contraceptive experiences on IUD use at an urban abortion clinic.

Background: We studied the effect of contraceptive social networking on postabortion intrauterine device (IUD) uptake. This study explores whether women who have heard personal stories of IUD use are more likely to use an IUD for postabortion contraception.

Study Design: We surveyed 299 women undergoing induced abortion at San Francisco General Hospital's Women's Options Center before and after contraceptive counseling.