Abortion services have declined precipitously throughout the U.S. in the last 20 years. The drop in hospital-based services accounts for much of the decline. The number of hospitals performing abortions fell from 1,405 in 1982 to 703 in 1996, according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute. Only 14% of U.S. hospitals currently provide abortions, and many of these provide only a few procedures per year. Mergers with religiously affiliated hospitals and the growth of religiously affiliated HMOs have exacerbated the problem by eliminating reproductive health services from many facilities. The lack of hospital services gravely limits the access women have to abortion care. There is an uneven geographic distribution of abortion services and eighty-six percent of U.S. counties have no abortion provider. This disparity in the distribution of services particularly affects non-urban women. Twenty-five percent of women seeking an abortion must travel more than 50 miles in order to access abortion services. Hospital services are also critical for low-income women, who rely on free care, and women with special medical needs that clinics may not be equipped to serve. In addition, hospitals that do not provide abortions cannot train medical residents, thereby directly contributing to the critical shortage of trained abortion providers. This presentation will outline the status of hospital-based abortion services in the United States and describe current projects to eliminate the access disparities caused by the decrease in these services.
Learning Objectives: N/A
Keywords: Abortion, Access
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Abortion Access Project, Hospital Access Collaborative
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.