{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]],"date-time":"2026-06-17T01:04:36Z","timestamp":1781658276610,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,7,1]],"date-time":"2021-07-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1625097600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000245","name":"Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["18270"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["18270"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000245","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\"><jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title><jats:p>We sought to review the literature on the access experiences and attitudes toward abortion among youth experiencing homelessness in the United States.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec id=\"sec002\"><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>We conducted a systematic review of peer\u2010reviewed literature published from 2001 to 2019. We included qualitative studies involving US participants that focused on access experiences, views, or accounts of unintended pregnancy and\/or abortion among youth experiencing homelessness. We excluded studies published before 2001 as that was the year mifepristone medication abortion was made available in the US and we aimed to investigate experiences of access to both medical and surgical abortion options.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec id=\"sec003\"><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Our thematic analysis of the data resulted in five key themes that characterize the abortion attitudes and access experiences of youth experiencing homelessness: (1)<jats:italic>engaging in survival sex and forced sex<\/jats:italic>, (2)<jats:italic>balancing relationships and autonomy<\/jats:italic>, (3)<jats:italic>availability does not equal access<\/jats:italic>, (4)<jats:italic>attempting self-induced abortions using harmful methods<\/jats:italic>, and (5)<jats:italic>feeling resilient despite traumatic unplanned pregnancy experiences<\/jats:italic>.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec id=\"sec004\"><jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title><jats:p>Youth experiencing homelessness experience barriers to abortion access across the US, including in states with a supportive policy context and publicly funded abortion services. In the absence of accessible services, youth may consider harmful methods of self-induced abortion. Improved services should be designed to offer low-barrier abortion care with the qualities that youth identified as important to them, including privacy and autonomy.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0252434","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,7,1]],"date-time":"2021-07-01T17:38:37Z","timestamp":1625161117000},"page":"e0252434","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Access experiences and attitudes toward abortion among youth experiencing homelessness in the United States: A systematic review"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3884-6592","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Sarah","family":"Munro","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Savvy","family":"Benipal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aleyah","family":"Williams","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kate","family":"Wahl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Logan","family":"Trenaman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stephanie","family":"Begun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,7,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0252434.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"14","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jadohealth.2017.10.006","article-title":"Prevalence and Correlates of Youth Homelessness in the United States","volume":"62","author":"MH Morton","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Adolesc Health"},{"key":"pone.0252434.ref002","volume-title":"National estimates","author":"A Dworsky","year":"2018"},{"key":"pone.0252434.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"370","DOI":"10.1016\/S1054-139X(98)00071-8","article-title":"Pregnancy among three national samples of runaway and homeless youth","volume":"23","author":"JM Greene","year":"1998","journal-title":"J Adolesc Health"},{"key":"pone.0252434.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"173","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1939-0025.2011.01086.x","article-title":"Pregnancy and mental health of young homeless women","volume":"81","author":"DM Crawford","year":"2011","journal-title":"Am J Orthopsychiatry"},{"key":"pone.0252434.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"577","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jadohealth.2016.06.024","article-title":"Understanding the Decline in Adolescent Fertility in the United States, 2007\u20132012","volume":"59","author":"L Lindberg","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Adolesc Health"},{"key":"pone.0252434.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"140","DOI":"10.1353\/hpu.0.0318","article-title":"The Challenge of Pregnancy among Homeless Youth: Reclaiming a Lost Opportunity","volume":"21","author":"M Smid","year":"2010","journal-title":"J Health Care Poor Underserved Baltim"},{"key":"pone.0252434.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"166","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1365-2648.2002.02067.x","article-title":"Barriers and bridges to care: voices of homeless female adolescent youth in Seattle, Washington, USA","volume":"37","author":"J Ensign","year":"2002","journal-title":"J Adv Nurs"},{"key":"pone.0252434.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"133","DOI":"10.1300\/J013v31n02_07","article-title":"DrPH. 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