Policy mattersAbortion Restrictions in the U.S. Military: Voices from Women Deployed Overseas
Section snippets
Introduction and Background
Women make up 14% of the U.S. military’s active duty (AD) forces, and 97% are of reproductive age (Defense Manpower Data Center, 2010, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense, 2008). The most comprehensive data on unintended pregnancy in the military, conducted among a representative sample of AD women age 18 to 44 years participating in the 2005 Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors among AD Military Personnel, found an unintended pregnancy rate of 97 per 1,000 women in the
Methods
We conducted a retrospective, qualitative study analyzing data from women seeking information on medication abortion from an online service. These data came from two distinct sources: 1) de-identified e-mail queries from women looking for information on how to access medication abortion services, and 2) responses to standardized questions that were part of the online consultation to determine eligibility for early abortion. We reviewed all e-mail communication and consultation data received by
Results
Data were analyzed for 130 women, including 128 women in the U.S. military and 2 military dependents (one military spouse and one daughter). Background characteristics of participants are shown in Table 1. Eighty-eight women provided information on age and number of children. The median age was 26 years and median number of children was one; just under half of women (44%) had no children, half (49%) had one or two children, and 7% had three or four children. Among all 130 women, the majority
Discussion
This study provides a glimpse into some of the challenges faced by U.S. military women seeking abortion during an overseas deployment, while at the same time highlighting their motivations for choosing pregnancy termination. Although their reasons for seeking abortion are not unique, it is striking that some were specifically motivated by a desire to complete their tour of duty or continue their military career. The cases of women who were raped are particularly concerning, because these women
Kate Grindlay, MSPH, is a Project Manager at Ibis Reproductive Health. Her research focuses on expanding the availability and accessibility of reproductive health services for women in the United States and internationally.
References (32)
Health economics of contraception
Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology
(2009)- et al.
Sexual assault in the U.S. military: A review of the literature and recommendations for the future
Aggression and Violent Behavior
(2010) - et al.
Medical abortion practices: A survey of National Abortion Federation members in the United States
Contraception
(2008) ACOG Committee Opinion No. 385 November 2007: The limits of conscientious refusal in reproductive medicine
Obstetrics and Gynecology
(2007)- et al.
Abortion training in U.S. obstetrics and gynecology residency programs, 1998
Family Planning Perspectives
(2000) - et al.
Risk factors for legal induced abortion-related mortality in the United States
Obstetrics and Gynecology
(2004) - et al.
The impact of pregnancy on the individual and military organization: A postpartum active duty survey
Military Medicine
(2009) - Brown, D. (2008). Ban on sex for soldiers in Afghanistan lifted Sort of. Available:...
Abortion services and military medical facilities
(2002)US medical eligibility criteria for contraceptive use, 2010
(2010)
Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis
Unintended pregnancy among female soldiers presenting for prenatal care at Madigan Army Medical Center
Military Medicine
Disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy in the United States, 1994 and 2001
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
Cited by (33)
The economic context of pursuing online medication abortion in the United States
2021, SSM - Qualitative Research in HealthA Scoping Review of Unintended Pregnancy in Active Duty United States Military Women
2021, Women's Health IssuesCitation Excerpt :Because sexual intercourse during deployment is prohibited, servicewomen and servicemen feared that disposing of condoms would put them at risk of being caught; they reported foregoing condom use for that reason, which increased their risk for UIP (Russ & Ames, 2006). Sexual assault during deployment accounted for 4% of UIP in one study (Grindlay, Yanow, Jelinska, Gomperts, & Grossman, 2011). Additionally, access to contraception or contraceptive care was reduced during deployment, depending on the location and the pace of work requirements (Manski, Grindlay, Burns, Holt, & Grossman, 2014; Raine-Bennett, 2013a, 2013b).
Trajectories of women's abortion-related care: A conceptual framework
2018, Social Science and MedicineCitation Excerpt :Regulation is heterogeneous regarding abortion methods and gestational limits, including the grounds upon which second trimester abortions can occur (Boland, 2010). Laws may be made nationally or sub-nationally, and might apply to specific geographic regions (Sánchez Fuentes et al., 2008) or population sub-groups (Grindlay et al., 2011). The legal position on abortion might be specified in penal codes, but is also set out in health legislation, court decisions, constitutions, or clinical guidelines (WHO, 2017), and may change over time (Bergallo and Ramón Michel, 2016) or be affected by international convention (Daly, 2011).
Contraceptive prescriptions for US servicewomen, 2008–2013
2017, Contraception
Kate Grindlay, MSPH, is a Project Manager at Ibis Reproductive Health. Her research focuses on expanding the availability and accessibility of reproductive health services for women in the United States and internationally.
Susan Yanow, MSW, is a consultant to several domestic and international organizations. Her projects focus on expanding access to abortion care through advocacy, training, and organizing strategies.
Kinga Jelinska, MA, is a Project Manager at Women’s Wallet. Her research focuses on telemedicine and access to safe abortion.
Rebecca Gomperts, MD, is the founder Women on Waves, an organization that focuses on creating access to safe medical abortion around the world.
Daniel Grossman, MD, is a Senior Associate at Ibis Reproductive Health. His research focuses on improving access to contraception and safe abortion in the United States, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa, as well as improving links between reproductive health and HIV services.
Supported by a grant from The Wallace A. Gerbode Foundation.