Thesis of the research - Effects of Abortion in the United States

The problem and worries that women have when deciding whether or not to get an abortion will be examined in this thesis. The study also seeks to identify the various kinds of obstacles women encounter when trying to access safe abortion services.

The topic of abortion has been very divisive in American culture for a very long time. The Roe v. Wade landmark decision, which legalized abortion, only served to fuel the debate. Controversial discussion about these topics has persisted for more than 40 years since this case was decided. In the United States the rates if abortion are high enough to warrant an investigation. According the Guttmacher Institute (para. 1) “During 2010–2014, an estimated 56 million induced abortions occurred each year worldwide. This number represents an increase from 50 million annually during 1990–1994, mainly because of population growth.” People in not only the United States but the world over are concerned by the controversy that surrounds abortion rights, legislation on abortion, as well as the physical, psychological and sociological impacts of abortion.

It is a matter of fact that people have differing views on the topic of abortion. On one side is a group who support the practice as they believe that a fetus qualifies to be a human being and as such should be accorded the equal rights to life as any other human being. The other group in this debate argues that a woman should have the right to chose what happens with her body and this choice should not be made for her by anyone else. The government of course falls in the latter group and has always been criticized for completely ignoring the moral issues that are related to abortion.

Despite abortion being one of the most talked about issue in the country, there are certain critical issue that have so far not received the attention they deserve. One such issue that will be explored within this research is the availability of quality care for those women who may opt not to see their pregnancy to full term.

However, it is important to note that in addition to moral and legal factors in the debate about abortion, there are still other pertinent issues. It is not reasonable to think of abortion as a strictly legal issue and ignore the social ramifications the practice has. Indeed, abortion is a prominent social phenomenon that has made it necessary to have legislation to guide its practice created (Medoff and Dennis 210). This research proposal therefore, also attempts to discuss the social issues related to legislation on abortion and also discuss the beliefs and perspective of both the proponents and opponents of abortion.

According to (Mnuk et al., 64S), many women who have sought abortion services have reported experiencing various challenges obtaining access to clinics as well as quality care after procuring an abortion. Many have reported experiencing social and psychological concerns while others may not be emotionally prepared to give birth. The latter is especially true for teens who become pregnant. For others, the main reason they are seeking to undergo an abortion is informed by their economic status. Likewise, limited financial resources can be a major barrier for women seeking abortion services. Life threatening post abortion health complications are another valid concern. In addition to the psychological problems that post abortion patients experience, physiological complications can also arise. Women may be discouraged from seeking abortion services by the heightened risk of breast cancer and subsequent fetal loss.

The fear of social stigma also prevents many women from procuring abortion services while others may be afraid of being reproached by friends and family (Stellenberg et al. S116). Also barriers in obtaining much needed access to care can be increased by a shortage of qualified clinicians, health centers, and the availability of quality post-abortion care services. The geographical location may also be an important factor in determining the availability of care. This is the reality for millions of women who reside in rural areas.

Relevant literature

Research has shown that abortion in the society is a multi-factorial issue that is influenced by, socioeconomic factors, socio-demographic factors, and the policies implemented by a state.

In a study that employed and cost and benefit economical model to investigate the rates of abortion among women in America, Biggs, Gould and Foster (15), identified that most women who choose to undergo abortions go for the most optimal alternative based on their economic status and the information that is available to them. They cited the recent economic recession as well as the prevailing economic climate as major factors affecting decisions to either undergo or forego abortion by women in the United States.

Medoff (4) identified restrictive state abortion laws as well as Medicaid funding restrictions as some of the factors that affect the rate of abortion in many states across America. A Supreme Court ruling in 1980 left decisions on whether abortions should be funded using Medicaid at the discretion of the state. Laws prohibiting Medicaid funding in many states have led to a significant increase in the out of pocket payments women from poor backgrounds have to pay access safe abortion services. This study identified that the various Medicaid restrictions had led to a 3-5% reduction in abortion rates across the United States (Medoff 3).

Focusing on teen pregnancy, Beltz et al. (134), conducted a literature review of studies on how policies like abstinence-only programs impact teen birthrates. This study showed that there was a positive correlation between increased teen pregnancies and abstinence only programs. Other state policies that were identified as having a significant impact on teen birth rates include access to family planning, sex education, and public assistance. The general observation was that states with a higher abstinence funding per capita were also likely to have higher teen birth rates.

Research questions

As stated, this study aims to provide a better understanding of the issues and concerns women have to face in choosing between procuring an abortion and keeping the pregnancy. It also aims to highlight the barriers a pregnant patient may experience in accessing care before and after an abortion. Thus the primary research question is as follows:

What actions could be taken to enhance the quality as well as the ease of access to quality abortion services?

However, as can be seen, this is a quite complex research question that has to be broken down into a subset of question if a satisfactory response is to be provided. A careful investigation of qualitative sub questions would aid in providing an answer to the primary research question stated before.

The following are the qualitative research sub questions:

What factors play a major role in the decision by a woman to either undergo or forego an abortion?

What factors make it difficult for women to access quality abortion services?

What role is played by the prevailing legal, political, and social factors when a woman makes the decision to seek abortion services?

Significance of this study

This is a topic that should interest not only women who are pregnant and researchers, but also to the policymakers who are interested in understanding the accessibility of abortion. It is also of primary importance to women who are pregnant. In addition, it is topic that should be of interest to women who desire to be mothers in the future as well as their friends and family who, one day, might find themselves responsible for the wellbeing of a pregnant lady. This study should be o f interest to policy makers especially because of the legal issues that surround the practice of abortion. Lastly, another group who might find this study interesting is health care providers who either offer abortion services or might be interested in the provision of the said services. This is because health care providers are in many cases better placed to influence the barriers to access as well as the provision of quality services. Because of the position they hold, this is a group who can contribute significantly in finding solutions to these challenges.

This is a significant study because it investigates the various issues and factors that influence the decision to have an abortion or not. It is also an investigation of the challenges that can prevent a woman from accessing safe abortion services. The challenges range from physical barriers to financial, political, social, religious or otherwise.

Exploration of the various factors that influence whether a woman chooses to procure an abortion or to forego can provide better understanding of the issues that are barriers to the access of quality abortion services. Additionally, it fosters a discussion of the legal, social, and political factors that can be employed to eliminate such barriers. Elimination of these barriers can lead to a reduction of the high numbers of illegal abortions and unwanted births. Another significance of this study is that it can influence the direction the relevant authorities take in enhancing the access to safe and quality abortion services for women all over the United States.

Research methods

Since the factors that the outlines sub questions aim to explore are not fully known before hand, this should a qualitative study. More specifically, it should be a phenomenological that aims to explore perceptions on abortions as well as the challenges to procuring safe abortion services. Therefore, being a phenomenological study, interviews with randomly selected participants should be conducted (Gerrish, Lacey and Cormack 128). In addition, both primary and secondary sources of information should be used.

Given that this study is an investigation of the challenges to accessing safe abortion services, the participants should not only be women who are pregnant, but should also include women in general, even those who have not experienced pregnancy. The inclusion of this group should enable the researcher to create potential situations on whether the non pregnant women would be willing to forego or undergo an abortion, which would help in revealing potential barriers too.

Works cited

Beltz, Martha A. et al. "State Policy And Teen Childbearing: A Review Of Research Studies." Journal of Adolescent Health 56.2 (2015): 130-138. Web.

Biggs, M Antonia, Heather Gould, and Diana Greene Foster. "Understanding Why Women Seek Abortions In The US." BMC Women's Health 13.1 (2013): n. pag. Web. 19 Nov. 2017.

Gerrish, Kate, Anne Lacey, and Desmond Cormack. The Research Process In Nursing. Chichester, West Sussex: Blackwell Pub., 2010. Print.

Guttmacher Institute. "Induced Abortion Worldwide." Guttmacher Institute, 2017, https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-worldwide.

Medoff, Marshall H., and Christopher Dennis. "A Critical Reexamination Of The Effect Of Antiabortion Legislation In The Post-Casey Era." State Politics & Policy Quarterly 14.3 (2014): 207-227. Web.

Medoff, Marshall H. "Unintended Pregnancies, Restrictive Abortion Laws, And Abortion Demand." ISRN Economics 2012 (2012): 1-8. Web.

Mnuk, Rachel et al. "Perspectives On A Quality Abortion Care Experience." Obstetrics & Gynecology129 (2017): 63S-64S. Web.

Shellenberg, Kristen M. et al. "Social Stigma And Disclosure About Induced Abortion: Results From An Exploratory Study." Global Public Health 6.sup1 (2011): S111-S125. Web.