Periodic Reporting for period 4 - BAR2LEGAB (Women travelling to seek abortion care in Europe: the impact of barriers to legal abortion on women living in countries with ostensibly liberal abortion laws)
Période du rapport: 2021-04-01 au 2022-08-31
Almost no study exists on abortion travel and illegal abortion in countries where abortion is legal. Estimates on the number of illegal abortions in some countries exist (e.g. Italy), and some data exist on cross-border abortion travels in Europe, especially from the Republic of Ireland (before 2018 legalisation) and from countries with legal abortion (France, Germany, Belgium, and Italy) to England and the Netherlands. In some countries (Italy, Spain, France) existing data show that pregnant people also travel from one province/region to another to seek care.
The present research project, which was conducted from October 2016 to August 2022, aimed to collect and analyse quantitative and qualitative data, and to merge epistemological and public health approaches with an anthropological one to deepen the understanding of pregnant people's experiences with barriers to legal abortion and with abortion travel. Its main objectives were: 1) to provide extensive data on the legal, procedural, and social barriers that pregnant people face in countries with legal abortion and assess which ones lead them to travel within national borders or across borders; 2) to explore their experiences with abortion seeking, attempts to self-manage abortion, travel, and their perspectives on abortion laws; 3) to assess if and how specific barriers to legal abortion affect gestational age (GA) at termination, delaying access to care, which can imperil pregnant people’s reproductive health.
We presented our study results at national and international scientific conferences organized by important organisations, such as FIAPAC (International Federation of Professional Abortion and Contraception Associates), EASA (European Association of Social Anthropology), AAA (American Anthropological Association), ECPG (European Conference of Politics and Gender), and SMA (Society for Medical Anthropology). We also presented our findings at meetings organized by major international organisations, such as the International Planned Parenthood Federation - European Network, and the World Health Organization. Simultaneously, the PI and the team published eight articles based on the study’s results in important international public health, gynaecology, anthropology and gender studies journals, including BJOG. An International journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Reproductive Health, and Medical Anthropology Quarterly.
Our results show that abortion travel is a significant phenomenon in Europe and the search for care can be very difficult despite “relatively liberal” abortion laws. Women and pregnant people face a number of legal, procedural, and social barriers in abortion access in countries with legal abortion, which may lead to exceeding the GA limits, forcing them to travel abroad. This is the first study showing that GA limits are the main reason why thousands of pregnant people travel cross-border from countries with legal abortion. It also shows that GA limits delay access to care, creating potential risks to pregnant people’s health. Some participants tried to self-manage abortion prior to traveling, using unsafe methods (e.g. hitting their abdomen), which shows that GA limits can potentially harm pregnant people’s health. This study also shows that abortion travel, especially cross-border travels, pose many hardships, including economic burdens of travel and the care abroad. Furthermore, our results highlight the importance of key social agents for overcoming these barriers (e.g. family planning organizations, pro-choice websites, health professionals). Finally, our study raises questions about the impact of fragmented European abortion policies, which are deemed “liberal”, while they are actually restrictive, in exacerbating inequalities, and the meanings of “safe” / “legal” abortion when travel is necessary. We are publishing the results on the project’s website, which is a major dissemination tool to a wide audience, and an information hub for individuals seeking abortion care in Europe.