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Invited paper| Volume 21, ISSUE 3, SUPPLEMENT , S58-S62, May 2011

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Conducting Collaborative Abortion Research in International Settings

      Abstract

      Nearly 20% of the 208 million pregnancies that occur annually are aborted. More than half of these (21.6 million) are unsafe, resulting in 47,000 abortion-related deaths each year. Accurate reports on the prevalence of abortion, the conditions under which it occurs, and the experiences women have in obtaining abortions are essential to addressing unsafe abortion globally. It is difficult, however, to obtain accurate and reliable reports of attitudes and practices given that abortion is often controversial and stigmatized, even in settings where it is legal. To improve the understanding and measurement of abortion, specific considerations are needed throughout all stages of the planning, design, and implementation of research on abortion: Establishment of strong local partnerships, knowledge of local culture, integration of innovative methodologies, and approaches that may facilitate better reporting. This paper draws on the authors’ collaborative research experiences conducting abortion-related studies using clinic- and community-based samples in five diverse settings (Poland, Zanzibar, Mexico City, the Philippines, and Bangladesh). The purpose of this paper is to share insights and lessons learned with new and established researchers to inform the development and implementation of abortion-related research. The paper discusses the unique challenges of conducting abortion-related research and key considerations for the design and implementation of abortion research, both to maximize data quality and to frame inferences from this research appropriately.
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      Biography

      Jessica D. Gipson, MPH, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Public Health. Her research focuses on sexual and reproductive health decision-making and outcomes.

      Biography

      Davida Becker, PhD, is a Research Scholar at the Center for the Study of Women at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research focuses on the accessibility and quality of reproductive health services and disparities in reproductive health outcomes.

      Biography

      Joanna Z. Mishtal, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Central Florida. Her current research, situated in Ireland and at the European Union, examines the role of conscience-based objection in the provision of reproductive health services.

      Biography

      Alison H. Norris, MD, PhD, was an Ellertson Fellow from 2008–2010. At the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD, she pursues multi-method research on sexual and reproductive health epidemiology in under served women and men.