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Demont C, Dixit A, Foster AM. Later Gestational Age Abortion in Canada: A Scoping Review. THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN SEXUALITY 2023. [DOI: 10.3138/cjhs.2022-0046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Since the decriminalization of abortion in Canada in 1988, there have been no legal restrictions on when in pregnancy an abortion can take place. However, abortion care is only consistently available in Canada up to 23 weeks and 6 days; women, transgender men, and gender non-binary individuals who need abortion care after 24 weeks typically obtain services in the United States. Furthermore, abortion care beyond 16 weeks is unavailable in some regions of the country. The authors undertook this scoping review to explore what is currently known about later gestational age abortion in Canada. Using a six-stage framework, they identified 32 relevant sources that were published in the last 30 years, and they consulted with seven topic experts to validate the findings from our document synthesis. The limited body of literature on abortion after 16 weeks in Canada sheds light on the safety of both medical and instrumentation procedures, the type and training of abortion-providing clinicians, the characteristics of those obtaining abortion care after the first trimester, and geographic disparities in service availability. These topic experts emphasized the need for future research on patient experiences and developing and implementing strategies to help provinces and territories expand abortion care to later gestational ages and improve comprehensive reproductive health services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly Demont
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anvita Dixit
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- National Abortion Federation, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Angel M. Foster
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Dowler M, Rushton E, Kornelsen J. Medical Abortion in Midwifery Scope of Practice: A Qualitative Exploration of the Attitudes of Registered Midwives in British Columbia. J Midwifery Womens Health 2019; 65:231-237. [DOI: 10.1111/jmwh.13059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Dowler
- Department of Midwifery, BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre Provincial Health Services Authority Vancouver British Columbia Canada
- Department of Midwifery Burnaby Hospital, Fraser Health Authority Burnaby British Columbia Canada
- Division of Midwifery, Department of Family Practice University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Eleanor Rushton
- Department of Midwifery, BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre Provincial Health Services Authority Vancouver British Columbia Canada
- Division of Midwifery, Department of Family Practice University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Jude Kornelsen
- Department of Family Practice University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
- Centre for Rural Health Research Vancouver British Columbia Canada
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