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.