The abortion decision: Who women talk to when making their choice
Abortion
Awarded 2019
Complex Family Planning Fellowship Research
Anuja Singh, MD
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
$14,757

Literature suggests that when individuals need to make important medical decisions, they often consult those most important in their lives for advice and support. Abortion can be a complex decision, especially given the social discord surrounding it. While extensive research has been done on who gets an abortion and why, much less information is available about who women talk to during this process and the impact of these discussions. This study aims to understand who women consult in making their decision to obtain an abortion. In addition, it aims to understand who was most important among these individuals and whether the subject felt forced by that person to make a particular decision. Lastly, for those who endorse this, we aim to understand what, if anything, could have been done to help. This is a structured survey study. We will develop a questionnaire based on prior validated surveys, including those used by the National Abortion Federation and Guttmacher Institute. Our primary outcome will percent of women who consult others in making this decision. Our secondary outcomes will be who women identify as most important in this process and percent of women feeling forced to make a particular decision regarding abortion.