Expectations about availability of contraception and abortion at a hypothetical Catholic hospital: Rural-urban disparities among Wisconsin women

Abstract

Objective: To examine rural-urban differences in reproductive-aged Wisconsin women's expectations for contraceptive and abortion care at a hypothetical Catholic hospital.

Study design: Between October 2019 and April 2020, we fielded a 2-stage, cross-sectional survey to Wisconsin women aged 18 to 45, oversampling rural census tracts and rural counties served by Catholic sole community hospitals. We presented a vignette about a hypothetical Catholic-named hospital; among participants perceiving it as Catholic, we conducted multivariable analyses predicting expectations for contraceptive services (birth control pills, Depo-Provera, intrauterine device or implant, tubal ligation) and abortion in the case of serious fetal indications.

Results: The response rate was 37.6% for the screener and 83.4% for the survey (N = 675). Among respondents (N = 376) perceiving the hospital as Catholic, expecting the full range of contraceptive methods was more common among rural (70.9%) vs urban (46.7%) participants (adjusted odds ratio = 3.99, 95% confidence interval: 1.99-7.99). In adjusted models, odds of expecting each contraceptive method were at least 3 times greater among rural vs urban participants. About one-third expected provision of abortion for serious fetal indications, with no difference by rurality (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: In Wisconsin, rural women were more likely than urban women to expect a hypothetical Catholic hospital to provide the full range of contraceptive methods as well as each method individually. Disparities were especially large for tubal ligation and long-acting reversible contraceptives-methods that other studies suggest are least-likely to be available in Catholic healthcare settings-which may indicate a mismatch between patients' expectations and service availability.

Implications: Many reproductive-aged Wisconsin women-especially in rural areas-hold misperceptions about availability of reproductive care in Catholic hospitals. Policies mandating greater transparency in service restrictions and interventions enabling patients to make informed decisions about care may help connect patients to the care they need more quickly.

Keywords: Abortion; Contraception; Religious healthcare institutions; Reproductive care; Rurality.