Exploring the Motivations and the Concerns Behind Self-Managed Medication Abortion Done by Purchasing Medication Online: Qualitative Interview Study With US Abortion Seekers Post-Roe

Our research uncovered the motivational factors behind relying on online tools to purchase abortion medication and engaging in self-managed abortion. Moreover, our research provides evidence of the importance of digital services to offer pregnant individuals a way to find abortion medication detached from their physical communities, circumventing the stigma associated with seeking an abortion and the sociocultural consequences of it. This promised anonymity is the core motivational factor that encourages pregnant individuals to prefer these systems compared to legal options. However, behind this promised anonymity, privacy and security concerns might be hidden.