Regional difference in access to abortion services: Preliminary findings from the 2014 Abortion Patient Survey

Between April 2014 and February 2015, we collected data from >8,000 abortion patients. The dataset used for the current analysis contains information from 1,111 women. Respondents were asked how long ago they had scheduled the appointment. Preliminary analyses suggest that a substantial minority of women, 13%, had made the appointment the same day or the day before they obtained the abortion, and 72% had made the appointment within the last seven days. However, 6% reported that more than two weeks had passed since they had made the appointment. Women who resided in the Midwest and the South were more likely than those in the Northeast and West to report that they had made the appointment more than a week ago. Women were also asked which factors influenced their decision in selecting the facility where they obtained the abortion. The most common reasons were: It was the closest (32%), it was recommended by a friend or family member (18%), they had previously obtained an abortion at the facility (16%), the facility provided early medication abortion (16%) and it was the most affordable (14%). In the preliminary dataset, women in the Midwest were most likely to indicate that closeness or proximity was a factor, and women from the South were most likely to indicate that affordability influenced their decision. Subsequent analyses will explore whether regional differences are maintained when (1) the full dataset is available and (2) factors such as age, poverty status and other characteristics are taken into account.