Mixed-Methods Research Findings
Overview:
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022, 12 states have enacted complete abortion bans, and 29 states have bans based on gestational duration. Our team seeks to explore the ways that this has impacted the provision and accessibility of evidence-based medical practices, both nationally and within North Carolina.
Collectively, our data-driven research spans the future of medical education, student health resources at North Carolina universities, emergency contraception availability, and crisis pregnancy centers. Please select the desired project below to read more about our findings.
Impact of Abortion Restrictions on Medical Education
By extension of the state-specific abortion restrictions, students who are on the pathway to becoming physicians will not be able to perform or observe abortions in states with abortion bans. We determined that in 2023, nearly 40% of OBGYN residents, family medicine residents, and medical school students were located in states where they will not be able to receive comprehensive abortion training. These findings pose potential implications for the future availability of reproductive healthcare services in certain geographic areas.
Reproductive Health Resources at North Carolina Universities
College students are more likely to access reproductive healthcare services in school-based settings than family planning clinics, and access to this care is associated with improved educational outcomes. This project analyzes the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services listed on the student health websites of 4-year universities in North Carolina. We found a large disparity in the number of SRH services listed between public and private schools that may lead to varying life course outcomes for impacted student populations.
Emergency Contraception Availability at Pharmacies
The Dobbs v. Jackson decision has piqued national interest regarding an individual’s right to contraception. Our team is conducting “secret shopper” calls to ~800 pharmacies across North Carolina, recording the availability of Ella (prescription emergency contraception), Plan B (over-the-counter emergency contraception), and Opill (over-the-counter birth control). At this time, this project is still underway.
Crisis Pregnancy Centers in North Carolina
Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are anti-abortion organizations that take on the appearance of legitimate reproductive healthcare facilities and use deceptive tactics to dissuade pregnant people from seeking abortions. This project maps the the 99 CPCs in North Carolina relative to abortion-providing facilities and universities. Additionally, we found that census tracts containing or closely bordering CPCs have more single parents, lower educational attainment, and higher poverty, which implies that CPCs target underresourced individuals.