DIY abortions surge post-Roe: Women turn to herbs, alcohol, and more

The study suggested that women's methods ranged from unprescribed medication use to dangerous practices like alcohol, drugs, and self-harm

A rising number of women in the United States have reported attempting to end their pregnancies independently, resorting to methods such as taking herbs, consuming alcohol, or even physically harming themselves, according to a new study.

This trend has gained momentum following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June 2022, with the proportion of women attempting self-managed abortions increasing from 2.4 per cent to 3.3 per cent.

The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, involved surveys conducted among women of reproductive age before and after the Supreme Court’s ruling. The researchers, who surveyed around 7,000 women six months before the decision and another 7,100 women a year later, sought to understand the extent of self-managed abortions. Women who indicated having attempted to end a pregnancy on their own were asked to provide further details about their experiences.

 

Grace Ferguson, an obstetrician-gynaecologist and abortion provider in Pittsburgh, who was not involved in the research, said, “A lot of people are taking things into their own hands.” Although the increase in reported cases may appear modest, the data suggests that this could translate into hundreds of thousands of women across the country.

‘Barriers to abortion increase risks’

Lauren Ralph, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, and one of the study’s authors, emphasised, “Our data show that making abortion more difficult to access does not reduce the desire or need for it.” The study's findings highlighted various reasons women choose to handle their own abortions, including the desire for privacy, concerns about the cost of clinical procedures, and a preference to attempt self-managed abortion before seeking formal medical intervention.

The methods reported by the women varied widely. Some took medications, such as emergency contraception or abortion pills like misoprostol and mifepristone, obtained without a prescription and outside the formal healthcare system. Others resorted to dangerous practices, such as drinking alcohol, using drugs, or inflicting physical harm on themselves by hitting their abdomen or lifting heavy objects.

Risks of self-managed abortions

Complications from these self-managed attempts were not uncommon. Some women reported experiencing bleeding and pain, leading them to seek medical care. Others noted that their pregnancies either ended after their attempts or continued when the methods failed. In some cases, women eventually sought abortions at clinics or experienced miscarriages later on.

Ralph pointed out several limitations to the research, including the possibility of underreporting due to the sensitive and potentially criminalised nature of self-managed abortions. 

She also noted that the understanding of the survey questions might have changed after the Dobbs decision, with some women potentially misinterpreting the legality of obtaining medication abortion through telehealth services.

Despite these caveats, Dr Ferguson highlighted the study’s core message: “The findings confirm what we’ve been saying all along: If you make it difficult to obtain an abortion through formal channels, people will resort to informal methods.” 

[With agency inputs]