Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39350517›Full record

ArticlePerspectives on sexual and reproductive health2024

"Trust Women": Characteristics of and learnings from patients of a Shield Law medication abortion practice in the United States.

Angel M Foster, Alice Mark, Kyle J Drouillard, Maureen Paul, Susan Yanow, Sarah Shahi, Dipesh Suvarna, Andrea Peña

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–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

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Price Is a Feature of Person-Centered Abortion Care.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Making sense of the economics of abortion in the United States.Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health · 2024
    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

8 authors.

Angel M FosterFaculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Alice MarkCambridge Reproductive Health Consultants, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Kyle J DrouillardFaculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Maureen PaulCambridge Reproductive Health Consultants, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Susan YanowCambridge Reproductive Health Consultants, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Sarah ShahiFaculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Dipesh SuvarnaFaculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Andrea PeñaCambridge Reproductive Health Consultants, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe 2022 Massachusetts Shield Law protects telemedicine providers who care for abortion seekers in other states from criminal, civil, and licensure penalties. In this article we explore the characteristics of patients of The Massachusetts Medication Abortion Access Project (The MAP).

methodsThe MAP is an asynchronous telemedicine service that offers mifepristone/misoprostol to abortion seekers in all 50 states who are at or under 11 weeks pregnancy gestation on initial intake. The MAP charges USD250 using a pay-what-you-can model. We analyzed medical questionnaires and payments submitted by patients who received care from The MAP during its first 6 months of operations using descriptive statistics and for content and themes.

resultsFrom October 1, 2023-March 31, 2024, 1994 patients accessed care through The MAP. Almost all (n = 1973, 99%) identified as women/girls and about half (n = 984, 49%) were aged 20-29. The MAP cared for patients in 45 states; 84% (n = 1672) of these patients received pills in abortion ban or restricted southern states. Patients paid USD134.50 on average; 29% (n = 577) paid USD25 or less. Nearly two-thirds (n = 1293, 65%) received subsidized care; financial hardship featured prominently in patient comments. DISCUSSION: Considerable demand exists for medication abortion care from Shield Law providers. The MAP demonstrates that providers can trust women and other pregnancy capable people to decide for themselves whether to obtain medication abortion pills by mail and to pay what they can afford without being required to justify their need. Identifying ways to support Shield Law provision and further subsidize abortion care are needed.

Indexed as

Abortion, InducedMifepristoneMisoprostolAbortifacient Agents, SteroidalAdolescentAdultFemaleHealth Services AccessibilityHumansMassachusettsPregnancySurveys and QuestionnairesTelemedicineTrustUnited StatesYoung AdultAbortifacient Agents, SteroidalMifepristoneMisoprostolhealth care financingMassachusettsmedication abortionmifepristonetelemedicine

Identifiers

PMID39350517
PMCPMC11605996

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.