New Studies from Guttmacher Institute Examine Post-Abortion Contraceptive Services

Guttmacher Institute: Providing Post-Abortion Contraceptive Services is Key to Reducing Repeat Unintended Pregnancies and Abortions, by Rebecca Wind:

Yet Many Facilities Face Logistical and Financial Barriers to Providing Extensive Contraceptive Care

Because most abortions result from unintended pregnancies—and many from repeat unintended pregnancies—better access to affordable and effective contraceptive services and supplies for women who obtain abortions should be a high priority. Virtually all abortion providers offer at least some postabortion contraceptive services, yet for many women, the facility at which they obtain an abortion is unable to fully meet their needs.

Two new studies from the Guttmacher Institute examine postabortion contraceptive services, one from the perspective of patients and one focusing on providers. The first, “Patients’ Attitudes and Experiences Related to Receiving Contraception During Abortion Care,” by Megan Kavanaugh et al., finds that two-thirds of women seeking abortion report that they want to leave their appointments with a contraceptive method in hand, and 69% believe that the abortion setting is an appropriate one for receiving contraceptive information. Among women who had had an abortion in the past five years, more than two-thirds had received a method of contraception during their visit. . . .