1. State-Mandated (Mis)Information and Women's Endorsement of Common Abortion Myths
- Author
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Berglas, Nancy F, Gould, Heather, Turok, David K, Sanders, Jessica N, Perrucci, Alissa C, and Roberts, Sarah CM
- Subjects
Midwifery ,Public Health ,Health Sciences ,Human Society ,Policy and Administration ,Reproductive health and childbirth ,Gender Equality ,Abortion ,Induced ,Adolescent ,Adult ,Bioethical Issues ,Deception ,Female ,Government Regulation ,Health Education ,Humans ,Informed Consent ,Linear Models ,Multivariate Analysis ,Pregnancy ,State Government ,Utah ,Young Adult ,Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine ,Public Health and Health Services ,Public health ,Policy and administration - Abstract
PurposeThe extent that state-mandated informed consent scripts affect women's knowledge about abortion is unknown. We examine women's endorsement of common abortion myths before and after receiving state-mandated information that included accurate and inaccurate statements about abortion.MethodsIn Utah, women presenting for an abortion information visit completed baseline surveys (n = 494) and follow-up interviews 3 weeks later (n = 309). Women answered five items about abortion risks, indicating which of two statements was closer to the truth (as established by prior research) or responding "don't know." We developed a continuous myth endorsement scale (range, 0-1) and, using multivariable regression models, examined predictors of myth endorsement at baseline and change in myth endorsement from baseline to follow-up.ResultsAt baseline, many women reported not knowing about abortion risks (range, 36%-70% across myths). Women who were younger, non-White, and had previously given birth but not had a prior abortion reported higher myth endorsement at baseline. Overall, myth endorsement decreased after the information visit (0.37-0.31; p
- Published
- 2017