https://issues-osu.github.io/ISSUESlab/tag/abortion-access/Abortion AccessHugo Blox Builder (https://hugoblox.com)en-usTue, 10 Mar 2026 12:30:00 +0000https://issues-osu.github.io/ISSUESlab/media/logo_hu2fedd529b9d9d7008e9f6968cd645fa1_199187_300x300_fit_lanczos_3.pnghttps://issues-osu.github.io/ISSUESlab/tag/abortion-access/https://issues-osu.github.io/ISSUESlab/event/ipr-seminar-2026/Tue, 10 Mar 2026 12:30:00 +0000https://issues-osu.github.io/ISSUESlab/event/ipr-seminar-2026/<p>Dr. Gia Barboza-Salerno will present at the <strong>Institute for Population Research (IPR) Seminar Series</strong> on Tuesday, March 10, 2026.</p> <h2 id="presentation-details">Presentation Details</h2> <p><strong>Title:</strong> Accessibility to Abortion Services, Maternal Vulnerability, and Birth Outcomes</p> <p><strong>Date:</strong> Tuesday, March 10, 2026<br> <strong>Time:</strong> 12:30 - 1:30 PM<br> <strong>Location:</strong> Townshend Hall, room 038, 1885 Neil Ave Mall and Zoom</p> <p><strong>Registration:</strong> <a href="https://ipr.osu.edu/events/ipr-seminar-series-dr-gia-barboza-salerno" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Register for Zoom access</a></p> <h2 id="abstract">Abstract</h2> <p>Does spatial accessibility to abortion care intersect with maternal vulnerability to shape adverse birth outcomes? In the post-Dobbs landscape, access to abortion services has become increasingly uneven, with substantial geographic barriers emerging across large portions of the state. This study examines whether spatial constraints on abortion access align with community-level maternal vulnerability and how these structural conditions are associated with adverse birth outcomes.</p> <p>The study uses a novel <strong>Maternal Vulnerability Index (MVI)</strong>, a validated, census-tract-level measure that captures multidimensional drivers of poor maternal health, including:</p> <ul> <li>Healthcare access</li> <li>Reproductive health resources</li> <li>Physical and mental health</li> <li>Environmental conditions</li> <li>Socioeconomic disadvantage</li> </ul> <p>Geographic information systems (GIS) and multimodal transportation network modeling are used to quantify travel burden, service deserts, and spatial accessibility to abortion. These spatial access measures are then linked to adverse birth outcomes (e.g., preterm birth), to assess whether communities facing greater abortion access constraints experience elevated perinatal risk.</p> <p>By situating abortion accessibility within a comprehensive measure of maternal vulnerability, this study highlights how geographic and structural inequities in reproductive healthcare access may contribute to persistent disparities in maternal and infant health.</p>