Note: This episode and the episode’s shownotes utilize the term “women,” when talking about the Turnaway study results, because women made up all of the participants. Many people, including trans men and non-binary individuals, still require access to safe and timely abortion care.
On December 1st, 2021, the Supreme Court will be hearing oral arguments to Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization—a 15-week abortion ban out of Mississippi, which will put the ability to access abortion care out of reach for so many. Dr. Diana Greene Foster, researcher at the University of California, San Francisco and author of the Turnaway Study: Ten Years, A Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having- or Being Denied- an Abortion, talks to us about her book on the study, the science and stories behind it, and why the upcoming Supreme Court case is a direct affront to reproductive health.
The Turnaway Study began in 2007 as a way to answer whether or not abortion hurts women—an idea that has impacted policy for decades and has even underlined the Supreme Court’s decision to ban one type of abortion. The study followed a diverse set of participants from 30 U.S. facilities, comparing the outcomes of those who received abortions as compared to those who wanted them but couldn’t get them. For five years, participants were interviewed on their physical health, mental health, socioeconomic wellbeing, and life outcomes.
The study quickly found the opposite to be true; limiting access to abortion led to women experiencing significant risks to their physical health, financial health, and life outcomes. Medical literature has made clear that carrying a pregnancy to term is associated with much greater health risk than having an abortion, which was confirmed by the study. Tragically, two study participants died as a result of not being able to access an abortion, while many reported higher rates of chronic pain, hypertension, and short-term mental health concerns. Additionally, women denied abortion care were much more likely to end up living below the federal poverty level, more likely to receive public assistance, more likely to be in situations of domestic violence, and less likely to set and achieve aspirational plans. People who received their wanted abortion had a higher rate of later intended pregnancies—increasing the likelihood that, down the line, participants had wanted and healthier pregnancies with better partners, more support, and when they were ready. Finally, the children of mothers who received an abortion experienced better outcomes as well, with less likelihood of living in poverty, and increased likelihood of achieving developmental milestones.
