Black and poor people more likely to have procedural abortions

Medication abortions are more common among wealthier people and other ethnic groups

Black people and those with lower incomes are more likely to have a procedural abortion than one involving medication than white and Asian people, according to a new study published by the Guttmacher Institute. 

The article was published in Contraception last week. The results indicate that those marginalized groups are more likely to be affected by abortion bans. Medication abortions account for 53 percent of those performed in the United States. 

The researchers, Julia Kohn, Rachel Jones and Doris Chiu, recruited 56 facility administrators to report and discuss their work. They then had access to patients. The final sample is from 6,698 abortion patients at 56 facilities in 21 states.

Kohn, Jones and Chiu argue at the end that the results underscore the importance of centering patient needs and preferences. The research is timely given the threats to mifepristone access. They wrote the following conclusion. 

Ensuring access to both medication and procedural abortion for all individuals who seek abortion care is critical to meet patients’ individual needs and preferences and to ensure the ability to exercise one’s reproductive autonomy.