Behavioral Innovations to Access Abortion Post-Dobbs: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of Reddit’s r/abortion Community in 2022
Following the leak of the Dobbs decision in 2022, abortion access in the United States has faced heightened barriers, including legal restrictions, financial constraints, and logistical challenges. In response, individuals seeking abortion care can employ innovative behavioral strategies to overcome...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580251351192 |
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| author | Eliza Dolgins BA Lindsay Parham PhD, JD Karen Weidert MPH Emma Anderson MPH Coye Cheshire PhD, MA Ndola Prata MD, MSc Elizabeth Pleasants DrPH, MPH |
| author_facet | Eliza Dolgins BA Lindsay Parham PhD, JD Karen Weidert MPH Emma Anderson MPH Coye Cheshire PhD, MA Ndola Prata MD, MSc Elizabeth Pleasants DrPH, MPH |
| author_sort | Eliza Dolgins BA |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Following the leak of the Dobbs decision in 2022, abortion access in the United States has faced heightened barriers, including legal restrictions, financial constraints, and logistical challenges. In response, individuals seeking abortion care can employ innovative behavioral strategies to overcome these barriers and reshape their abortion experiences (ie, “behavioral innovations”). This paper explores the behavioral innovations to access abortion that people discussed and recommended within a geographically dispersed community of peers on an abortion-supportive Reddit community (r/abortion). Using a hybrid inductive and deductive thematic qualitative analysis approach with a purposive sample of comments in the r/abortion community in 2022 following the Dobbs leak (May-December, n = 131 comments), we identified discussion of abortion access innovations related to getting in-clinic care, self-managed abortion (SMA), funding assistance, privacy, and emotional support. Innovations included sharing online resources for clinic locations, specific travel recommendations to less restrictive states, accessing abortion medications through online services, and navigating the SMA process. Additionally, other less tangible innovations were discussed, including strategies for keeping abortions private and seeking emotional support. Our findings highlight how individuals within the r/abortion community discuss and share creative strategies for navigating the evolving barriers to abortion care. The r/abortion platform serves as a crucial resource for individuals seeking innovative solutions to these barriers, underscoring the need for diverse information-sharing practices to improve access to care as shifting legislation increasingly demands approaches beyond conventional norms. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7c349a1f6d7343acbecc1cbff0f76eda |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0046-9580 1945-7243 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| spelling | doaj-art-7c349a1f6d7343acbecc1cbff0f76eda2025-08-20T03:27:17ZengSAGE PublishingInquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing0046-95801945-72432025-06-016210.1177/00469580251351192Behavioral Innovations to Access Abortion Post-Dobbs: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of Reddit’s r/abortion Community in 2022Eliza Dolgins BA0Lindsay Parham PhD, JD1Karen Weidert MPH2Emma Anderson MPH3Coye Cheshire PhD, MA4Ndola Prata MD, MSc5Elizabeth Pleasants DrPH, MPH6University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USAUniversity of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USAUniversity of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USAUniversity of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USAUniversity of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USAUniversity of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USAUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USAFollowing the leak of the Dobbs decision in 2022, abortion access in the United States has faced heightened barriers, including legal restrictions, financial constraints, and logistical challenges. In response, individuals seeking abortion care can employ innovative behavioral strategies to overcome these barriers and reshape their abortion experiences (ie, “behavioral innovations”). This paper explores the behavioral innovations to access abortion that people discussed and recommended within a geographically dispersed community of peers on an abortion-supportive Reddit community (r/abortion). Using a hybrid inductive and deductive thematic qualitative analysis approach with a purposive sample of comments in the r/abortion community in 2022 following the Dobbs leak (May-December, n = 131 comments), we identified discussion of abortion access innovations related to getting in-clinic care, self-managed abortion (SMA), funding assistance, privacy, and emotional support. Innovations included sharing online resources for clinic locations, specific travel recommendations to less restrictive states, accessing abortion medications through online services, and navigating the SMA process. Additionally, other less tangible innovations were discussed, including strategies for keeping abortions private and seeking emotional support. Our findings highlight how individuals within the r/abortion community discuss and share creative strategies for navigating the evolving barriers to abortion care. The r/abortion platform serves as a crucial resource for individuals seeking innovative solutions to these barriers, underscoring the need for diverse information-sharing practices to improve access to care as shifting legislation increasingly demands approaches beyond conventional norms.https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580251351192 |
| spellingShingle | Eliza Dolgins BA Lindsay Parham PhD, JD Karen Weidert MPH Emma Anderson MPH Coye Cheshire PhD, MA Ndola Prata MD, MSc Elizabeth Pleasants DrPH, MPH Behavioral Innovations to Access Abortion Post-Dobbs: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of Reddit’s r/abortion Community in 2022 Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| title | Behavioral Innovations to Access Abortion Post-Dobbs: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of Reddit’s r/abortion Community in 2022 |
| title_full | Behavioral Innovations to Access Abortion Post-Dobbs: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of Reddit’s r/abortion Community in 2022 |
| title_fullStr | Behavioral Innovations to Access Abortion Post-Dobbs: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of Reddit’s r/abortion Community in 2022 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Behavioral Innovations to Access Abortion Post-Dobbs: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of Reddit’s r/abortion Community in 2022 |
| title_short | Behavioral Innovations to Access Abortion Post-Dobbs: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of Reddit’s r/abortion Community in 2022 |
| title_sort | behavioral innovations to access abortion post dobbs a qualitative thematic analysis of reddit s r abortion community in 2022 |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580251351192 |
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