Introduction

In October 2019, the Jackson, Mississippi city council passed a buffer, bubble, and quiet zone ordinance to discourage protestor activity outside the state’s only licensed abortion facility. We sought to learn about patients’ encounters with protestors and how the ordinance would have affected their experiences obtaining care.

Methods

Before the passage of the ordinance, patients seeking care at the Mississippi facility enrolled in a prospective study on access to abortion and contraception. We invited participants completing the six-month follow-up survey between November 2019 and January 2020 to participate in an in-depth interview over the phone about their experiences with protestors at their visits. We analyzed interview transcripts for content and themes using inductive and deductive approaches.

Results

Of 30 participants interviewed, the majority expected to see protesters at their visits but were surprised at the number present and how close they were able to get to patients, which made some feel unsafe. Participants also reported that protestors’ offers of adoption and financial support were unwanted and that they were able to withstand comments that promoted shame and stigma because of their strong sense of reproductive autonomy. Participants credited clinic escorts and security with helping mitigate negative protestor encounters. Nearly all felt the city ordinance would have improved their experience by making them feel safer and more at ease.

Conclusions

Protestors created negative experiences for the majority of study participants, even though the facility adopted strategies to ameliorate protestors’ impacts.

Policy Implications

Additional protections are needed to ensure people can obtain abortion care with respect.

中文翻译：

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流产患者在密西西比州接受治疗时与抗议者的经历

介绍

2019 年 10 月，密西西比州杰克逊市议会通过了一项缓冲区、泡沫和安静区条例，以阻止该州唯一获得许可的堕胎设施外的抗议活动。我们试图了解患者与抗议者的遭遇以及该条例将如何影响他们获得护理的经历。

方法

在该法令通过之前，在密西西比州医疗机构寻求护理的患者参加了一项关于获得堕胎和避孕的前瞻性研究。我们邀请参与者在 2019 年 11 月至 2020 年 1 月期间完成为期六个月的后续调查，通过电话参与深入采访，了解他们在访问期间与抗议者的经历。我们使用归纳和演绎方法分析了访谈记录的内容和主题。

结果

在接受采访的 30 名参与者中，大多数人预计会在访问时看到抗议者，但对出现的人数以及他们与患者的距离如此之近感到惊讶，这让一些人感到不安全。参与者还报告说，抗议者提出的收养和经济支持是不受欢迎的，并且由于他们强烈的生殖自主意识，他们能够承受促进羞耻和污名化的评论。参与者将诊所护送和保安归功于帮助减轻负面抗议者的遭遇。几乎所有人都认为，城市法令会让他们感到更安全、更自在，从而改善他们的体验。

结论

尽管该设施采取了减轻抗议者影响的策略，但抗议者给大多数研究参与者带来了负面体验。

政策影响

需要额外的保护，以确保人们能够获得尊重的堕胎护理。