Abortion restrictions in the state of Georgia: Anticipated impact on people seeking abortion.

Abstract Objective To explore the impact of restrictive abortion policies in the state of Georgia on the lives of people seeking abortion and how they would manage unwanted pregnancies. Study design: We conducted a cross sectional study of English and Spanish-speaking people seeking abortion from three high-volume outpatient abortion clinics in Atlanta, Georgia from April 2019 through August 2019. Participants completed a multiple-choice questionnaire. We used bivariable and multivariable analysis to explore relationships between demographic characteristics and how people would manage their unwanted pregnancies if abortion were illegal in the state. Two researchers (EC and SC) conducted qualitative analysis on free response answers and coded them by key emotion. Results Of the 382 participants, 312 (81.9%) considered at least one way to end their pregnancy if abortion were illegal in Georgia: 252 (66.1%) by traveling to another state, 85 (22.3%) by self-management with medications and/or herbs, and 32 (8.4%) considered self-harm behaviors. When asked how they would feel about not being able to have a desired abortion, 94% reported negative emotions, ranging from “scared” to “enslaved.” Conclusions Limiting access to legal abortion in Georgia would negatively impact the lives of people seeking abortion and has the potential to drive individuals to seek more costly and risky alternatives to end their pregnancy. Implications: Restricting abortion in Georgia may cause medically unnecessary delays in care, increased travel time, cost and negative emotional responses to people seeking abortion. Mitigating strategies include legislative challenges to restrictive laws as well as harm reduction education.