Appendix
A: Recruitment brochure – All participants
Understanding
for a change: Interrogating effects from twenty years of denying women’s access
to an abortion in PEI.
We are a group of researchers and community allies
interested in understanding women’s experiences with accessing abortion in PEI
and helping to create reproductive justice for women. We are interested in
learning about your experiences so that we can change PEI
We want to speak confidentially with women in Prince Edward Island
a) women who have secured an abortion in PEI
b) women who had to leave PEI to secure their right to an
abortion,
c) women who requested the morning after pill, for
themselves or for a friend,
d) women who tried home remedies or other folk medicine
to attempt an abortion,
e) women who wanted an abortion but were blocked access
in any way,
f) women and men who have worked as abortion rights
activists,
g) women and men who accompanied friends or family to an
abortion, and
h) medical personnel interested in securing women’s
reproductive rights in PEI.
What Do You Want Me to Do?
·
Take part in a one hour interview
o
about your experiences with accessing or trying
to access abortion in PEI
o
Social messages you experience and their impact
on you
o
Your opinion on how to improve access to
abortion for PEI
Where will
the interview take place?
·
In a confidential place that is convenient to
you where you will feel comfortable.
You Have
Rights
·
If you participate in the interview you may
o
end the interview at any time
o
refuse to answer any question
·
If you end the interview or refuse to answer a
question there is no penalty.
·
We will give you a ride to where the interview
will occur, if you need it.
What Happens With My Interview Then?
The interview will be audio recorded and typed out. All
information that can identify you or your location will be removed from the
typed out copy. Only the members of the research team will see the typed out
copy. Your story will be combined with others in your province to make a story
about women’s access to abortion.
Interested? If you
would like to take part or would like more information, call Dr. Colleen
MacQuarrie Department of Psychology, UPEI at 902-566-0617 (cmacquarrie@upei.ca).
Appendix B: Informed consents and Research
Conversation Guides
Consent Form for Interviews
Understanding
for a change: Interrogating effects from twenty years of denying women’s access
to an abortion in PEI.
We are a group of researchers and community allies
interested in understanding women’s experiences with accessing abortion in PEI.
The results from this research will be used to educate the public and inform
policy about the impact on women’s lives of the current policy. The lead
researcher is Dr. Colleen MacQuarrie, Department of Psychology, UPEI. If you have any questions about this research,
you can contact Dr. Colleen MacQuarrie at 902-566-0617 (cmacquarrie@upei.ca).
We want to speak confidentially with women in Prince
Edward Island and our allies for access to abortion. We are interested in
interviewing approximately 120 people from the following categories:
a) women who have secured an abortion at any time in
their life while living on PEI,
b) women who had to leave PEI to secure their right to an
abortion,
c) women who tried home remedies or other folk medicine
to bring about an abortion,
d) women who wanted an abortion but were blocked access
in any way,
e) women and men who requested the morning after pill,
for themselves or for a friend,
f) women and men who have worked as abortion rights
activists, and
g) medical personnel interested in securing women’s
reproductive rights in PEI.
Only the lead researcher and one of her co-researchers
Cathrine Chambers (M.Ed, CCC) will know the identity of any of our
participants. We will hold your information in confidence and anonymity.
We will ask about your experiences with the process of
accessing abortion or with helping others to access abortion. We will ask you
to reflect on the social messages you received at the time and the support or
lack of support you felt from different people and institutions. We will ask
you to give us advice about how to open access to abortion for PEI women.
We would like to invite you to volunteer to participate
in this research. Either Colleen MacQuarrie or Cathrine Chambers will be the
person who will be conducting the interviews. If you decide during the
interview that you do not want to answer a certain question or that you would
like to end the interview, please say so and your wishes will be respected and
there will be no repercussions to you. Interviews are likely to last about 60
minutes.
You may find it beneficial to talk about your
experiences. The information that you provide will be used to influence public
policy on women’s reproductive rights in Prince Edward Island.
After the interviews, we will be creating a presentation
of our initial analysis to invite feedback from various participants. Would you
like to be invited to a closed group discussion with other research
participants?
□ Yes, please contact me about a closed group
discussion.
□ No, I do not want to attend a closed group
discussion but I would like to give written feedback. Please contact me about
this.
Name _____________________________________
Address_____________________________________
Daytime phone _______________________________ Evening phone________________________________
Cell ______________________________________
Email ______________________________________
□ No, do not contact me about any feedback from
the initial findings.
This research project may create new questions for women’s
reproductive rights in PEI. If you are interested in being contacted for your
potential participation in future studies on women’s reproductive rights,
please indicate this below.
□ Yes, please contact me about participating in
future studies.
□ Use the contact information above or if you
wish provide alternate contact information for this: Name_____________________________________
Address_____________________________________
Daytime
phone _______________________________ Evening
phone________________________________
Cell ______________________________________
Email ______________________________________
□ No, do not contact me about participating in
future studies.
It is possible that participating in this interview will
be difficult for you, and you may wish to talk to someone about your
experiences. For your convenience, we have attached a list of services that you
can choose to access if you would like to. Cathrine Chambers (M.Ed, CCC), who
is a trained counsellor has also agreed to be contacted by phone (902-830-3084)
should you have any personal concerns that arise following the interviews and
can assist you with a referral for assistance to other community supports.
The interviews will be audio-taped and then typed out.
All of the information collected will be kept confidential. All conversations
will be transcribed after Dr. MacQuarrie removes identifying information. The
transcribers will be Dr. MacQuarrie’s honours students. All transcribers will
sign an oath of confidentiality which means they cannot disclose what they
type. The typed conversations will be analyzed as a group. You personally will
not be identifiable in the research reports.
The information you provide will be kept in a locked
cabinet at the University of Prince Edward Island. Only the members of the
research team will have access to the data collected. You will remain anonymous
in all reports and presentations that result from this study. This means that
your personal information, such as your name or anything else that could
identify you, will be removed from the typed out copies. No one outside the
research team will be able to see or hear any personal information that will
let them know who has been interviewed. The data collected will be destroyed 5
years after the completion of the study.
Your signature below confirms that you have understood
the information provided about this
study and that you agree to take part in the interview.
I have received information about this study, and I have
had the opportunity to have any questions about my participation answered.
I agree that non-identifying quotations from my interview
can be used.
I agree that my interview will be audio-taped.
I understand that I can contact the UPEI Research Ethics
Board at 902-620-5104, or by e-mail at lmacphee@upei.ca
if I have any concerns about the ethical conduct of this study.
I have the freedom to withdraw from this study at any
time and/or not answer any question.
I understand that I can keep a copy of this signed and
dated form.
I understand that the information will be kept
confidential within the limits of the law.
Participant’s Signature____________________________________
Date___________________
Researcher’s
Signature____________________________________ Date___________________
If you would like to receive a summary of the results of
this study, please provide either your
mailing address or e-mail address below:
Discussion Groups CONSENT FORM
Understanding
for a change: Interrogating effects from twenty years of denying women’s access
to an abortion in PEI.
You
participated in an interview in our project. As promised, we removed any
identifying information and analysed our interviews across many participants.
We have analysed the interviews and now want to get your feedback on what we
understood from those interviews.
The lead researcher is Dr. Colleen MacQuarrie, Department
of Psychology, UPEI. If you have any
questions about this research, you can contact Dr. Colleen MacQuarrie at
902-566-0617 (cmacquarrie@upei.ca). We want to share the findings with
you to see how those findings fit with your experiences. Your opinions and your
ideas are important to change reproductive justice for women in PEI.
The discussion group will be facilitated by Dr. Colleen MacQuarrie and Cathrine Chambers (M.Ed, CCC), the same two researchers who did the interviews for the project. The meeting will take place on the UPEI campus in Dr. MacQuarrie’s research room, Dalton 104.
If you
choose to participate in the research you will join a group discussion along
with approximately 10 other people who also participated in our interviews.
Four
separate discussion groups are held for women who:
have secured an abortion while living in PEI
have tried to obtain an abortion but were blocked from
doing so,
tried home remedies for abortion and either were or were
not successful in terminating the pregnancy
have accessed the morning after pill for themselves in
PEI.
Two
separate discussion groups are held for allies. If you were in our family/friends
allies group, this group may
include people who supported women by obtaining morning after pills at
drugstores or who accompanied women to an abortion. If you were in our activist
and medical professionals allies group, it may include people who have worked
as abortion rights activists and medical personnel interested in securing
women’s reproductive rights in PEI.
The
discussion will be about
your
opinions on the ideas coming from the research
your
ideas about other ways to work for reproductive justice in PEI
discussions
will last about 2 hours
you will
not be identified in the research findings
your
ideas will be combined with others to improve the research
All discussion group participants are requested to hold
the information confidential to the group.
This means that after the discussions you may discuss
ideas you have with people outside the group, but that the other participant’s
names and identities should not be shared. It is unethical to share people’s
names outside this group. Of course, we as researchers can not guarantee that
all discussion group participants will adhere to this requirement and so
neither confidentiality nor anonymity can be guaranteed from group discussions.
It is possible that participating in this group
conversation may be difficult for you, and you may wish to talk to someone
about your experiences. For your convenience, we have attached a list of
services that you can choose to access if you would like to. Cathrine Chambers
(M.Ed, CCC), who is a trained counsellor has also agreed to be contacted by phone
(902-830-3084) should you have any personal concerns that arise following the
group discussion and can assist you with a referral for assistance to other
community supports.
The discussion will be audio-taped and the facilitators
will be the only ones who have access to the audio tapes. Notes will be taken
from the discussion. All of the information collected will be kept
confidential. The group conversations will be analyzed to determine what needs
to be added to the findings from the interviews. You personally will not be
identifiable in the research reports.
The information from the group discussion will be kept in
a locked cabinet at the University of Prince Edward Island. Only the
facilitators will have access to the audio tapes. Any notes made from the tapes
will not contain any identifying information. You will remain anonymous in all
reports and presentations that result from this study. This means that your
personal information, such as your name or anything else that could identify
you, will be removed from any notes from the discussion group. No one outside
the facilitators will be able to see or hear any personal information that will
let them know who has been interviewed. The data collected will be destroyed 5
years after the completion of the study.
I hereby
consent to be a participant in a research study led by Colleen MacQuarrie, PhD
of the University of Prince Edward Island. I have read the information and
understand that the purpose of this research is to understand my ideas and
opinions about women’s reproductive justice in PEI.
I
acknowledge that:
1) I understand my participation
is voluntary
2) I have the freedom to withdraw
from the research at any time without penalty or prejudice
3) I have the freedom not to
answer questions I am not comfortable with
4) I understand the information I share
will be confidential within the limits of the law
5) I understand I can keep a copy
of the signed and dated consent form
6) I understand that I can
contact the UPEI Research Ethics Board at 902-620-5104, or by e-mail at lmacphee@upei.ca if I have any concerns
about the ethical conduct of this study.
Furthermore, I agree to keep all the information
discussed in the context of the focus group confidential and anonymous. I can
only share my ideas outside the group; I cannot share other’s identities.
Participant’s
Signature____________________________________ Date___________________
Researcher’s
Signature____________________________________ Date___________________
If you would like to receive a summary of the results of
this study, please provide either your
mailing address or e-mail address below:
Research
Conversation Guide
For
women who have had an abortion:
1.
Tell me about your experience with securing an abortion
(or if applicable: with using the morning after pill.
Probes
a.
Year/age/context
2.
The time leading up to the abortion (using the morning
after pill).
a.
The abortion process (or the process of using the
morning after pill).
b.
Post abortion care (post morning after pill care)
3.
When you think about the social messages that women who
wanted an abortion were getting at the time, what were they? (or if applicable:
with using the morning after pill)
4.
How did those messages make you feel?
a.
Can you think of how you were effected by those
messages?
i.
Strengths developed?
ii.
Internalized negative messages?
5.
If you could journey back in time with your current day
wisdom, what would you tell yourself?
6.
What, if any, changes would you like to see in the
current situation for women’s reproductive rights in PEI
a.
Intrapersonal (changes in how you think / feel / act
about the issue?)
b.
Interpersonal (changes in how you relate to others
around the issue?)
c.
Structural (changes in public policy or public
discussion?)
7.
What is important to keep in mind when we are doing
work on women’s abortion rights?
8.
Is there anything we have not talked about that is
important for me to know?
Research
Conversation Guide
For
women who tried home remedies for abortion and either were or were not successful
in terminating the pregnancy
1.Tell me about your experience with
using a home remedy to secure an abortion.
Probes
a.
Year/age/context
2.
The time leading up to the abortion (or if applicable,
attempted abortion if pregnancy continued).
a.
The abortion process (or if applicable, attempted
abortion if pregnancy continued).
b.
Post abortion care (or if applicable attempted abortion
after care if pregnancy continued).
3.
When you think about the social messages that women who
wanted an abortion were getting at the time, what were they?
4.
How did those messages make you feel?
a.
Can you think of how you were effected by those
messages?
i.
Strengths developed?
ii.
Internalized negative messages?
5.
If you could journey back in time with your current day
wisdom, what would you tell yourself?
6.
What are some changes you would like to see?
a.
Intrapersonal (changes in how you think / feel / act
about the issue?)
b.
Interpersonal (changes in how you relate to others
around the issue?)
c.
Structural (changes in public policy or public
discussion?)
7.
What is important to keep in mind when we are doing work
on women’s abortion rights?
8.
Is there anything we have not talked about that is
important for me to know?
Research
Conversation Guide
For
women who
were blocked from obtaining an abortion:
1.
Tell me about your experience with trying to secure an
abortion.
Probes
a.
Year/age/context
b.
Who/what was blocking you?
c.
Who/what was supporting you?
d.
What might have made a difference?
e.
What happened to you as a result of being blocked in
your efforts to exercise your right to an abortion?
2.
When you think about the social messages that women who
wanted an abortion were getting at the time, what were they?
3.
How did those messages make you feel?
Can
you think of how you were effected by those messages?
iii.
Strengths developed?
iv.
Internalized negative messages?
4.
If you could journey back in time with your current day
wisdom, what would you tell yourself?
5.
What are some changes you would like to see?
a.
Intrapersonal (changes in how you think / feel / act
about the issue?)
b.
Interpersonal (changes in how you relate to others
around the issue?)
c.
Structural (changes in public policy or public
discussion?)
6.
What is important to keep in mind when we are doing
work on women’s abortion rights?
7.
Is there anything we have not talked about that is
important for me to know?
Research
Conversation Guide
For
reproductive justice activists
and medical professional allies
1.
Tell me about your experiences with trying to secure
abortion rights for women.
Probes
a.
Time span of most activism
b.
Current day involvement
c.
Who/what was blocking you?
d.
Who/what was supporting you?
e.
What might have made a difference?
f.
What happened to you as a result of being blocked in
your efforts to help women in PEI
2.
What are the social messages that women who want an
abortion in PEI
a.
Historic versus
current day messages? Any change?
3.
How do those messages make you feel?
a.
What do you think the effects of those messages
were/are?
4.
If you could journey back in time with your current day
wisdom, to your most activist time, what would you tell yourself?
5.
What are some changes you would like to see?
a.
Intrapersonal (changes in how you think / feel / act
about the issue?)
b.
Interpersonal (changes in how you relate to others
around the issue?)
c.
Structural (changes in public policy or public
discussion?)
6.
What is important to keep in mind when we are doing
work on women’s abortion rights?
7.
Is there anything we have not talked about that is
important for me to know?
Research
Conversation Guide
For Friends/Family
Allies Accompanying Women for an abortion (or, if applicable, with accessing
the morning after pill)
1.
From your perspective as a friend/family member, tell
me about your experience with helping to secure an abortion (or if applicable:
with accessing the morning after pill.)
Probes
a.
Year/age/context
2.The
time leading up to the abortion (using the morning after pill).
a.
The abortion process (or the process of using the
morning after pill).
b.
Post abortion care (post morning after pill care)
3.
When you think about the social messages that women who
wanted an abortion were getting at the time, what were they? (or if applicable:
with using the morning after pill)
4.
How do those messages make you feel?
a.
What do you think the effects of those messages
were/are?
b.
Can you think of how you were affected by those
messages?
i.
Strengths developed?
ii.
Internalized negative messages?
5.
If you could journey back in time with your current day
wisdom, what would you tell yourself?
6.
What are some changes you would like to see?
a.
Intrapersonal (changes in how you think / feel / act
about the issue?)
b.
Interpersonal (changes in how you relate to others
around the issue?)
c.
Structural (changes in public policy or public
discussion?)
7.
What is important to keep in mind when we are doing
work on women’s abortion rights?
8.
Is there anything we have not talked about that is
important for me to know?
Feedback Focus Group Discussion Guide:
Template For Eliciting Feedback:
You
participated in an interview in our project. As promised, we removed any
identifying information and analysed our interviews across many participants.
We have analysed the interviews and now want to get your feedback on what we
understood from those interviews.
We want to
share the findings with you to see how those findings fit with your
experiences. Your opinions and your ideas are important to change reproductive
justice for women in PEI
Facilitator
takes 10 minutes to present an overview of the thematic findings from the
research. Then each theme is discussed in turn by the group.
Facilitator presents theme 1 to participants.
Based on your experiences, what are your ideas about this
theme?
What else should we understand about this theme?
What would you add?
What would you take away? (how might it be qualified?)
Each theme is presented systematically with this
questioning stance.
Final concluding discussion,
- Overall what is your opinion of these findings?
- How fully was your experience portrayed by these findings?
- How would you qualify the findings overall?
- Is there anything we haven’t talked about which is important for us
to know about women’s access to abortion in PEI based on your experiences?
