230425 Abortion experiences among young women: Using evidence to guide interventions in Africa, Asia and Latin America

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 : 11:18 AM - 11:30 AM

Laura Villa-Torres, BA , Community Engagement and Mobilization, Ipas, Chapel Hill, NC
Deborah L. Billings, PhD , Health promotion, Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Michelle Deming, M A , Health Promotion, Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Safe abortion care is a component of basic reproductive health services that should be available to all women. Nevertheless, women below the age of 24 account for 46% of all deaths from unsafe abortion around the world. We conducted a comprehensive literature review on youth and abortion and included articles from peer-reviewed journals published in English from 1999-2009. A total of 35 articles from 15 countries were included in the review. The main themes of the research findings included views on adolescent sexuality, contraceptive use, decision making related to abortion, stigma and shame related to this decision, roles of health care providers, counselors and family and community members in the abortion experiences of these young women. One main barrier to safe abortion services is the legal environment in which young women live. These include general abortion laws as well as secondary regulations for minors and unmarried women. In general, young women do not seek safe abortion or post-abortion care services because of inconvenient hours, lack of transportation, high cost of services and little knowledge of available services. Many young women have limited knowledge about sexual anatomy, conception and pregnancy processes, and have many myths related to the use of contraception. three levels of stigma that impede access to safe abortion services include: stigma related to the age of women and their capability to make decisions themselves; stigma related to young women's sexuality; and stigma related to unmarried young women single parenting.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Diversity and culture
Ethics, professional and legal requirements
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe findings from research conducted from 1999-2009 about abortion among young women (ages 10-24 years old) that describe their personal experiences, socio-cultural and economic patterns that influence their experiences, and health system responses to their needs 2. Name ways in which the research is informing future research, policy and programmatic work taking place in Asia, Latin America and Africa to address the issue of unsafe abortion among young women.

Keywords: Abortion, Adolescents

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I am a faculty of the University of South Carolina, and I work on reproductive and maternal health research, including access to safe abortion
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.