Another disaster: Access to abortion after Hurricane Harvey.
Ophra Leyser-Whalen, Sanaz Zareei Chaleshtori, Adelle Monteblanco
PMID 33170761WHAT IT FOUND
Eight Texas abortion fund callers after Hurricane Harvey faced travel over 700 miles, later-trimester pregnancies, and pledges that did not cover procedure costs.
Three reported violence, including rape in a shelter.
Key findings
01All eight Hurricane Harvey callers said they were displaced, and based on caller and clinic locations all had to or would have had to travel over 700 miles to reach an available clinic.
02Half of the callers received pledges of $75, $300, $350, or $350; procedure costs were reported for six callers as $540, $580, $650, $1,600, $7,500, and $9,800.
03Three of the eight cases involved domestic violence or rape, including one woman who reported being raped in a disaster shelter.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only eight callers mentioned Hurricane Harvey, so the study describes those eight people and not all disaster survivors or all people seeking abortion. The researchers used only the information West Fund had already entered, and many records lacked notes or demographic data. Different people entered data, including callers through a web-based platform, which meant missing data on some variables. The authors say the small sample limits the study to a case study, not statistical generalization or representativeness.
Declared interests
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these eight cases as evidence about all Hurricane Harvey survivors or all people seeking abortion. The study used records from one fund, had missing data, and the authors say the small sample limits it to a case study.