Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31859189›Full record

ArticleWomen's health issues : official publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health

Abortion Need among U.S. Servicewomen: Evidence from an Internet Service.

Laura Fix, Jane W Seymour, Daniel Grossman, Dana M Johnson, Abigail R A Aiken, Rebecca Gomperts, Kate Grindlay

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Women's health issues : official publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Abortion in a military population: A review of the literature.Journal of military, veteran and family health · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Unintended Pregnancy and Abortion in the US Navy, 2016.Journal of general internal medicine · 2022
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Laura FixIbis Reproductive Health, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Electronic address: lfix@ibisreproductivehealth.org.
Jane W SeymourIbis Reproductive Health, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Daniel GrossmanAdvancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, University of California San Francisco, Oakland, California.
Dana M JohnsonLyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.
Abigail R A AikenLyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.
Rebecca GompertsWomen on Web, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Kate GrindlayIbis Reproductive Health, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Funding

Scientific & Technical CoreP2CHD042849 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · PI MARK D. HAYWARD · 2017 to 2026
$5.2M
NICHD NIH HHS P2C HD042849
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionU.S. servicewomen have high rates of unintended pregnancy, but federal policy prohibits abortion provision at military treatment facilities and military insurance coverage of abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, or a life-endangering pregnancy. Such restrictions pose challenges to abortion access for servicemembers, particularly during deployment. We aimed to explore the experiences of U.S. servicewomen when accessing abortion during overseas tours and deployment.

methodsWe reviewed de-identified data from email inquiries and online consultation forms from U.S. servicewomen or military spouses seeking medication abortion from the telemedicine service Women on Web between January 2010 and December 2017. We used descriptive statistics and inductively coded textual responses to describe client characteristics, circumstances of pregnancy, reasons for abortion, and barriers to abortion care.

resultsOur sample included data for 323 individuals. Reasons for abortion related to military service included disruption of deployment, fear of military reprimand, and potential career impacts. Additionally, servicemembers faced barriers to abortion access related to overseas military deployment or tour, including a lack of legal abortion in-country, limited financial resources, language barriers, travel restrictions, and a lack of confidentiality.

conclusionsU.S. military servicewomen stationed in countries where safe, legal abortion is restricted or unavailable face deployment-related barriers to abortion care, which compound those barriers they may face regardless of deployment status. Removal of federal bans on the provision and coverage of abortion care and improved education about existing regulations could improve access to timely abortion care and in some cases allow servicewomen who wish to obtain abortion care to remain deployed.

Indexed as

Abortion ApplicantsAbortion, InducedAbortion, LegalAdolescentAdultFemaleHealth Services AccessibilityHumansInternetMilitary PersonnelPregnancyPregnancy, UnplannedUnited StatesYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID31859189
PMCPMC10372809

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.