Cross-country abortion travel to England and Wales: results from a cross-sectional survey exploring people’s experiences crossing borders to obtain care
Plain language summary In Europe, people who live in countries where abortion is severely restricted or illegal altogether lack access to abortion care entirely, but even people who live in countries with more liberal laws face barriers due to gestational age limits, waiting periods, and a lack of t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Reproductive Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-021-01158-z |
| _version_ | 1818597678588624896 |
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| author | Camille Garnsey Giulia Zanini Silvia De Zordo Joanna Mishtal Alexandra Wollum Caitlin Gerdts |
| author_facet | Camille Garnsey Giulia Zanini Silvia De Zordo Joanna Mishtal Alexandra Wollum Caitlin Gerdts |
| author_sort | Camille Garnsey |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Plain language summary In Europe, people who live in countries where abortion is severely restricted or illegal altogether lack access to abortion care entirely, but even people who live in countries with more liberal laws face barriers due to gestational age limits, waiting periods, and a lack of trained and willing providers. Existing evidence suggests that restrictions and barriers compel people from both countries with restrictive laws as well as those from countries with more liberal laws to travel outside of their home country for abortion services. England and Wales are common destinations for people traveling within Europe to obtain abortion services, but little is known about the experiences of these travelers. We surveyed individuals who had traveled from another country to seek abortion services in England or Wales. Our analysis documents that many participants contemplated getting an abortion and sought care in their home countries before traveling. Likewise, many participants indicated that they would have preferred to have obtained an abortion earlier in their pregnancy, and referenced scheduling issues, a dearth of local services, delayed pregnancy recognition, and financial difficulties as causing their delay. A majority of participants indicated that covering the costs of their abortion, and the costs of travel was difficult, and that the travel experience in its entirety was difficult. Our findings document the reasons for, and burdens associated with abortion travel and highlight the need to expand access to abortion across Europe via the elimination of all legal restrictions and impediments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T11:51:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-49a05fe7fcd446ac88ad2260667c3f75 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1742-4755 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T11:51:37Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Reproductive Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-49a05fe7fcd446ac88ad2260667c3f752022-12-21T22:32:41ZengBMCReproductive Health1742-47552021-05-0118111310.1186/s12978-021-01158-zCross-country abortion travel to England and Wales: results from a cross-sectional survey exploring people’s experiences crossing borders to obtain careCamille Garnsey0Giulia Zanini1Silvia De Zordo2Joanna Mishtal3Alexandra Wollum4Caitlin Gerdts5Ibis Reproductive HealthDepartment of Anthropology, University of BarcelonaDepartment of Anthropology, University of BarcelonaDepartment of Anthropology, University of Central FloridaIbis Reproductive HealthIbis Reproductive HealthPlain language summary In Europe, people who live in countries where abortion is severely restricted or illegal altogether lack access to abortion care entirely, but even people who live in countries with more liberal laws face barriers due to gestational age limits, waiting periods, and a lack of trained and willing providers. Existing evidence suggests that restrictions and barriers compel people from both countries with restrictive laws as well as those from countries with more liberal laws to travel outside of their home country for abortion services. England and Wales are common destinations for people traveling within Europe to obtain abortion services, but little is known about the experiences of these travelers. We surveyed individuals who had traveled from another country to seek abortion services in England or Wales. Our analysis documents that many participants contemplated getting an abortion and sought care in their home countries before traveling. Likewise, many participants indicated that they would have preferred to have obtained an abortion earlier in their pregnancy, and referenced scheduling issues, a dearth of local services, delayed pregnancy recognition, and financial difficulties as causing their delay. A majority of participants indicated that covering the costs of their abortion, and the costs of travel was difficult, and that the travel experience in its entirety was difficult. Our findings document the reasons for, and burdens associated with abortion travel and highlight the need to expand access to abortion across Europe via the elimination of all legal restrictions and impediments.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-021-01158-zEuropeInduced abortionAbortion travelAbortion barriers |
| spellingShingle | Camille Garnsey Giulia Zanini Silvia De Zordo Joanna Mishtal Alexandra Wollum Caitlin Gerdts Cross-country abortion travel to England and Wales: results from a cross-sectional survey exploring people’s experiences crossing borders to obtain care Reproductive Health Europe Induced abortion Abortion travel Abortion barriers |
| title | Cross-country abortion travel to England and Wales: results from a cross-sectional survey exploring people’s experiences crossing borders to obtain care |
| title_full | Cross-country abortion travel to England and Wales: results from a cross-sectional survey exploring people’s experiences crossing borders to obtain care |
| title_fullStr | Cross-country abortion travel to England and Wales: results from a cross-sectional survey exploring people’s experiences crossing borders to obtain care |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cross-country abortion travel to England and Wales: results from a cross-sectional survey exploring people’s experiences crossing borders to obtain care |
| title_short | Cross-country abortion travel to England and Wales: results from a cross-sectional survey exploring people’s experiences crossing borders to obtain care |
| title_sort | cross country abortion travel to england and wales results from a cross sectional survey exploring people s experiences crossing borders to obtain care |
| topic | Europe Induced abortion Abortion travel Abortion barriers |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-021-01158-z |
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