SynthesisPloS one2016
Women's Awareness and Knowledge of Abortion Laws: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Abortion Experiences and Perspectives Amongst Migrants and Refugees: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Pooled it
- How, when and where? A systematic review on abortion decision making in legally restricted settings in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.BMC women's health · 2022Pooled it
- Why do they take the risk? A systematic review of the qualitative literature on informal sector abortions in settings where abortion is legal.BMC women's health · 2019Pooled it
- Awareness of Abortion Legality and Safe Abortion Uptake in Ghana: Assessing the Moderating Role of Education in a Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Knowledge and Attitude of Lebanese Women Regarding Induced Abortion: A Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Development of patient-reported experience and patient-reported outcome measurement tool for abortion care in Ethiopia: a mixed-method study.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- Abortion knowledge, attitudes and reproductive autonomy among university students in Austria: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2026Article
- Understanding the Ethiopian policy landscape on abortion services using a health policy triangle framework.International journal for equity in health · 2025Article
- The state of abortion services in five Pacific Island countries: a legislative analysis and scoping review.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Assessing facility capacity to provide safe abortion and post-abortion care in Liberia: a 2021 signal function survey across 48 public health facilities.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Exploring women's knowledge of abortion legality and association with source of abortion care using population-based survey data in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana.Reproductive health · 2024Article
- Close female friendships and knowledge of recommended abortion methods in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo among a representative sample of reproductive-aged women.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2024Article
- Does Abortion Liberalisation Accelerate Fertility Decline? A Worldwide Time-Series Analysis.European journal of population = Revue europeenne de demographie · 2023Article
- "Technically an abortion": Understanding perceptions and definitions of abortion in the United States.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2023Article
- Knowledge of the abortion law and key legal issues of sexual and reproductive health and rights among recently arrived migrants in Sweden: a cross-sectional survey.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Preventing death following unsafe abortion: a case series from urban Uganda.AJOG global reports · 2022Article
- Mind the Gap: Understanding Differences Between Sexual and Reproductive Health-Related Legal Frameworks on Paper and in Practice.Frontiers in global women's health · 2022Article
- The infrastructural capacity of Ghanaian health facilities to provide safe abortion and post-abortion care: a cross-sectional study.BMC health services research · 2021Article
- Abortion-related morbidity in six Latin American and Caribbean countries: findings of the WHO/HRP multi-country survey on abortion (MCS-A).BMJ global health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIncorrect knowledge of laws may affect how women enter the health system or seek services, and it likely contributes to the disconnect between official laws and practical applications of the laws that influence women's access to safe, legal abortion services.
objectiveTo provide a synthesis of evidence of women's awareness and knowledge of the legal status of abortion in their country, and the accuracy of women's knowledge on specific legal grounds and restrictions outlined in a country's abortion law.
methodsA systematic search was carried for articles published between 1980-2015. Quantitative, mixed-method data collection, and objectives related to women's awareness or knowledge of the abortion law was included. Full texts were assessed, and data extraction done by a single reviewer. Final inclusion for analysis was assessed by two reviewers. The results were synthesised into tables, using narrative synthesis.
resultsOf the original 3,126 articles, and 16 hand searched citations, 24 studies were included for analysis. Women's correct general awareness and knowledge of the legal status was less than 50% in nine studies. In six studies, knowledge of legalization/liberalisation ranged between 32.3%-68.2%. Correct knowledge of abortion on the grounds of rape ranged from 12.8%-98%, while in the case of incest, ranged from 9.8%-64.5%. Abortion on the grounds of fetal impairment and gestational limits, varied widely from 7%-94% and 0%-89.5% respectively.
conclusionThis systematic review synthesizes literature on women's awareness and knowledge of the abortion law in their own context. The findings show that correct general awareness and knowledge of the abortion law and legal grounds and restrictions amongst women was limited, even in countries where the laws were liberal. Thus, interventions to disseminate accurate information on the legal context are necessary.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.