🌟 The journey towards menstrual equity is just beginning! With continued advocacy and awareness, we can ensure all menstruators access the dignity they deserve. Communications Coordinator, Sesona Buyeye, co-authored this op-ed with our partners QRATE and we reflect on its message to continue awareness for menstrual equity. Learn more: bit.ly/4kmN4Ri! 💪🩸✨ #MHDay2025 #PeriodFriendlyWorld #AddYourVoice (fb)

Indiana has one of the most restrictive abortion policy contexts in the country. Even before the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022, overlapping restrictive policies in the state severely limited abortion access in Indiana. After Dobbs, the state instituted a full ban which has been continuously in effect since August 2023. Given this restrictive context, it seems likely that Indiana residents may self-manage their abortions due to barriers to clinician-supported care. However, little research exists on the experiences of abortion seekers in the state and their motivations for self-managed abortion (SMA). To address this gap, Ibis researchers, along with partners from the Chicago Abortion Fund, the Hoosier Abortion Fund, the Kentucky Health Justice Network, and the Indiana University School of Medicine, surveyed and interviewed pregnant people in Indiana who were considering abortion to understand their experiences, including any financial barriers and other motivators that influenced their care-seeking. Among 434 participants surveyed, approximately 8% reported a self-managed abortion attempt. Those who attempted SMA were more likely to be younger, pregnant for the first time, and to identify as a sexual- and/or gender-minority person than participants who did not attempt to self-manage. The most common reason cited for attempting to self-manage was the unaffordability of clinician-supported care. These findings suggest that for people who faced financial barriers to accessing clinician-supported abortion care in Indiana, financial distress was one of the main factors that motivated them to self-manage. Given the extremely restrictive context of abortion care in Indiana today, financial support to obtain clinician-supported care and trusted, accessible information about safe and effective SMA options are imperative so that Indiana residents can access abortion care and choose the model of care that is best for them. Read the full study here: https://ow.ly/GhI250Vz8RE #IbisDrivesChange (fb)