Information on medication abortion provided by family planning clinics in California

OBJECTIVES

To assess access to abortion pills offered by clinics providing state-funded family planning services in California.

METHODS

We attempted to make two scripted calls to a 20% random sample of family planning clinics in California, stratified by county, as "secret shoppers" in 2020 and 2021.

RESULTS

Clinic staff responded to 407 calls. Only 50 respondents (12%) reported their clinic offered abortion pills and 23 respondents (6%) accurately indicated to callers that abortion pills were available free to low-income individuals in California. Most (68%) clinics that did not offer abortion pills could not direct callers to a clinic that did offer abortion pills.

CONCLUSIONS

Efforts are needed to increase the number of clinics providing medication abortion services in California. Clinic staff need training to provide accurate information about medication abortion.

Suspension rates of students with autism or intellectual disabilities in Maryland from 2004 to 2015

BACKGROUND

Little research exists on suspension of students with autism or intellectual disabilities. We examined suspension rates of students with autism or intellectual disability in Maryland from 2004 to 2015 to understand whether race and disability status predicted the odds of being suspended.

METHOD

We used school enrollment data and school suspension data in Maryland for analysis. Descriptive statistics by race and disability category were calculated. Logistic regression was used to examine differences in odds of suspension by race and by disability (ID and autism) each year.

RESULTS

Suspension rates in Maryland decreased overall from 2004 to 2015, but African American students with intellectual disability or no disability were significantly more likely to be suspended. White students with autism and White students with intellectual disability had significantly higher odds of suspension than White students without a disability.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall risk for suspension in Maryland decreased over time. African American students with autism or intellectual disability, as well as white students with autism or intellectual disability, experienced significantly higher odds of suspension when compared to their White students without a disability. This relatively unexplored issue commands attention from researchers and policymakers alike.