title: 'This Is Real Misery': Experiences of Women Denied Legal Abortion in Tunisia.
abstract: Barriers to accessing legal abortion services in Tunisia are increasing, despite a liberal abortion law, and women are often denied wanted legal abortion services. In this paper, we seek to explore the reasons for abortion denial and whether these reasons had a legal or medical basis. We also identify barriers women faced in accessing abortion and make recommendations for improved access to quality abortion care. We recruited women immediately after they had been turned away from legal abortion services at two facilities in Tunis, Tunisia. Thirteen women consented to participate in qualitative interviews two months after they were turned away from the facility. Women were denied abortion care on the day they were recruited due to three main reasons: gestational age, health conditions, and logistical barriers. Nine women ultimately terminated their pregnancies at another facility, and four women carried to term. None of the women attempted illegal abortion services or self-induction. Further research is needed in order to assess abortion denial from the perspective of providers and medical staff.
authors.affiliation: Groupe Tawhida Ben Cheikh, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Selma
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hajri
authors.affiliation: Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH), Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), Oakland, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Raifman
authors.affiliation: Ibis Reproductive Health, Oakland, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Caitlin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gerdts
authors.affiliation: Ibis Reproductive Health, Oakland, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baum
authors.affiliation: Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH), Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), Oakland, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Diana Greene
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Foster
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D016079:Refusal to Treat; D014416:Tunisia; D055815:Young Adult