Latinas immigrant women's access to abortion: Insights from interviews with Latina community leaders

Immigrant women in the United States face several social and economic barriers to abortion services such as the federal 5-year ban on Medicaid eligibility for immigrants, the Hyde Amendment, disproportionately low rates of health insurance, high rates of low-income and, among some immigrant women, a lack of knowledge about the laws regarding their right to abortion services. However, little research is available documenting the experiences and perspective of Latinas, especially immigrants, regarding access and utilization of abortion services. National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health conducted a series of qualitative, semi-structured interviews with Latina “grasstops” leaders in St. Paul/Minneapolis, the Rio Grande Valley, TX, and New York City to explore their experiences with, and strategies and priorities for advancing reproductive health policy. This presentation will highlight key findings regarding abortion access for Latina immigrants in each community, and use these finding to inform the development of reproductive health policy priorities to eliminate inequitable access to abortion care for Latina immigrants.