Strengths and Limitations
This study has several limitations. The WoW website and its survey were
designed to be used in many countries hence were not tailored to
investigate the themes particular to the context of Turkey. The website
was first translated into Turkish in 2013 and was censored on 9
September 2016 by the government. The censorship limited women’s access
to the website, as it remained only accessible to those with private
virtual networks (VPNs). One question asking for reasons for wanting an
abortion through Women on Web was added to the consultation survey on 30
November 2017, which left us with asymmetrical data and prevented us
from conducting a longitudinal analysis for all data units. Several
observations remained missing, as some questions in the consultation
were not mandatory.
Despite these limitations, the study has significant potential to
contribute to the literature on access to formal abortion services and
the demand for medical abortion in Turkey. Our quantitative and
qualitative analyses reveal that women have been facing significant
barriers in accessing safe abortion in Turkey. Although we have not been
able to demonstrate the overall demand for medical abortion, we have
been able to map some preliminary insights into women’s specific needs
and preferences for medical abortion.