Kentucky's abortion landscape, 2010 to 2019: an analysis of pre-Dobbs abortion disparities in a rural, restrictive stateResearch in context
Summary: Background: Since 2010, many US states have passed laws restricting abortion providers’ ability to provide care. Such legislation has no demonstrated health benefits and creates inequitable barriers for patients. Methods: To examine how Kentucky's abortion policies coincided with faci...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2023-03-01
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| Series: | The Lancet Regional Health. Americas |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667193X23000157 |
| _version_ | 1797905342099619840 |
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| author | Mikaela H. Smith Michelle McGowan Payal Chakraborty Robert B. Hood Meredith P. Field Danielle Bessett Carolette Norwood Alison H. Norris |
| author_facet | Mikaela H. Smith Michelle McGowan Payal Chakraborty Robert B. Hood Meredith P. Field Danielle Bessett Carolette Norwood Alison H. Norris |
| author_sort | Mikaela H. Smith |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Summary: Background: Since 2010, many US states have passed laws restricting abortion providers’ ability to provide care. Such legislation has no demonstrated health benefits and creates inequitable barriers for patients. Methods: To examine how Kentucky's abortion policies coincided with facility closures and abortion utilisation, we conducted a review of state abortion policies from 2010 to 2019 using newspapers and websites. We calculated abortion rates (abortions per 1000 women ages 15–44) by state of residence and provision for Kentucky, the South, and the US using data from the CDC and Kentucky Department of Health. We calculated percentages leaving and from out-of-state, and analysed abortions by race, pregnancy duration, and method. Findings: Of 17 policies passed between 2010 and 2019, ten were enacted, including 20-week and telemedicine bans. One of Kentucky's two abortion facilities closed in 2017. The pooled average abortion rate in Kentucky (4.1) and for Kentuckians (5.8) was lower than national averages (11.8 and 11.1). An average of 38% of Kentuckians left their state for care, compared to 7% nationally. In 2019, the abortion rate in Kentucky was 5.8 times higher for Black patients than White patients (compared to 4.8 times nationally). The majority (62%) of abortions in Kentucky took place at 7–13 weeks' gestation. Interpretation: Abortions in Kentucky were less frequent than in the South and US. The larger Black-White abortion rate gap reflects race- and class-based structural inequities in healthcare. Without federal protections, abortion access in Kentucky will continue waning. Funding: This study was supported by a philanthropic foundation that makes grants anonymously. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T10:03:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-994a4c2140f84614881a108de1c22ca8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2667-193X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T10:03:49Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Lancet Regional Health. Americas |
| spelling | doaj.art-994a4c2140f84614881a108de1c22ca82023-02-16T04:18:56ZengElsevierThe Lancet Regional Health. Americas2667-193X2023-03-0119100441Kentucky's abortion landscape, 2010 to 2019: an analysis of pre-Dobbs abortion disparities in a rural, restrictive stateResearch in contextMikaela H. Smith0Michelle McGowan1Payal Chakraborty2Robert B. Hood3Meredith P. Field4Danielle Bessett5Carolette Norwood6Alison H. Norris7Division of Epidemiology, The Ohio State University, College of Public Health, Columbus, OH, USA; Corresponding author.Biomedical Ethics Research Program, Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Department of Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USADepartment of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USADepartment of Epidemiology, Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USADivision of Social Sciences, Alfred University, Alfred, NY, USADepartment of Sociology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USADepartment of Sociology and Criminology, Howard University, Washington, DC, USADivision of Epidemiology, The Ohio State University, College of Public Health, Columbus, OH, USASummary: Background: Since 2010, many US states have passed laws restricting abortion providers’ ability to provide care. Such legislation has no demonstrated health benefits and creates inequitable barriers for patients. Methods: To examine how Kentucky's abortion policies coincided with facility closures and abortion utilisation, we conducted a review of state abortion policies from 2010 to 2019 using newspapers and websites. We calculated abortion rates (abortions per 1000 women ages 15–44) by state of residence and provision for Kentucky, the South, and the US using data from the CDC and Kentucky Department of Health. We calculated percentages leaving and from out-of-state, and analysed abortions by race, pregnancy duration, and method. Findings: Of 17 policies passed between 2010 and 2019, ten were enacted, including 20-week and telemedicine bans. One of Kentucky's two abortion facilities closed in 2017. The pooled average abortion rate in Kentucky (4.1) and for Kentuckians (5.8) was lower than national averages (11.8 and 11.1). An average of 38% of Kentuckians left their state for care, compared to 7% nationally. In 2019, the abortion rate in Kentucky was 5.8 times higher for Black patients than White patients (compared to 4.8 times nationally). The majority (62%) of abortions in Kentucky took place at 7–13 weeks' gestation. Interpretation: Abortions in Kentucky were less frequent than in the South and US. The larger Black-White abortion rate gap reflects race- and class-based structural inequities in healthcare. Without federal protections, abortion access in Kentucky will continue waning. Funding: This study was supported by a philanthropic foundation that makes grants anonymously.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667193X23000157AbortionPolicyUnited States |
| spellingShingle | Mikaela H. Smith Michelle McGowan Payal Chakraborty Robert B. Hood Meredith P. Field Danielle Bessett Carolette Norwood Alison H. Norris Kentucky's abortion landscape, 2010 to 2019: an analysis of pre-Dobbs abortion disparities in a rural, restrictive stateResearch in context The Lancet Regional Health. Americas Abortion Policy United States |
| title | Kentucky's abortion landscape, 2010 to 2019: an analysis of pre-Dobbs abortion disparities in a rural, restrictive stateResearch in context |
| title_full | Kentucky's abortion landscape, 2010 to 2019: an analysis of pre-Dobbs abortion disparities in a rural, restrictive stateResearch in context |
| title_fullStr | Kentucky's abortion landscape, 2010 to 2019: an analysis of pre-Dobbs abortion disparities in a rural, restrictive stateResearch in context |
| title_full_unstemmed | Kentucky's abortion landscape, 2010 to 2019: an analysis of pre-Dobbs abortion disparities in a rural, restrictive stateResearch in context |
| title_short | Kentucky's abortion landscape, 2010 to 2019: an analysis of pre-Dobbs abortion disparities in a rural, restrictive stateResearch in context |
| title_sort | kentucky s abortion landscape 2010 to 2019 an analysis of pre dobbs abortion disparities in a rural restrictive stateresearch in context |
| topic | Abortion Policy United States |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667193X23000157 |
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