Impact of new abortion restrictions on people in prison: Estimated number of incarcerated people without abortion access and distance to abortion providers

Suzanne O Bell; Jessica L Dozier; Imaima Casubhoy; Carolyn Sufrin

doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2023.110278

Impact of new abortion restrictions on people in prison: Estimated number of incarcerated people without abortion access and distance to abortion providers

Contraception. 2024 Jan:129:110278. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2023.110278. Epub 2023 Sep 4.

Authors

Suzanne O Bell¹, Jessica L Dozier², Imaima Casubhoy², Carolyn Sufrin³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States. Electronic address: suzannebell@jhu.edu.
² Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States.
³ Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States.

PMID: 37673362
DOI: 10.1016/j.contraception.2023.110278

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to estimate the annual number of incarcerated pregnant people in state and federal prisons needing an abortion.

Study design: We used 2021 Bureau of Justice Statistics data and prior studies' findings to estimate the number of pregnant incarcerated people, then calculated state-specific abortion ratios to determine the number potentially needing an abortion.

Results: Of 638 pregnant people incarcerated in prisons annually, 110 would be expected to need an abortion, including 55 in states where abortion is currently banned or restricted.

Conclusions: Under Dobbs, many incarcerated pregnant people will be forced to continue unwanted pregnancies to term.

Keywords: Abortion access; Abortion restrictions; Incarceration; Prison; Reproductive justice.

MeSH terms

Abortion, Induced*
Female
Humans
Pregnancy
Prisoners*
Prisons
Social Justice