Seeking Abortion Research Articles

Should violence services be integrated within abortion care? A UK situation analysis

The prevalence of violence against women worldwide raises the question of the desirability and feasibility of integrating interpersonal violence (IPV) services within abortion care. By examining present services and context in an Inner London borough in the UK, this situation analysis explored the hypothesis that an established, integrated, health-based service (comprising raised awareness, staff training in routine IPV enquiry and referral to a community-based in-reach IPV service) would be transferable into abortion services. Four sources of qualitative data investigated views on integrating services: key stakeholder in-depth interviews including with providers of abortion and IPV services and commissioners and IPV survivors with past abortion service use (3 user, 15 provider); qualitative analysis of the open-ended part of a survey of current abortion service users with and without experience of IPV; feedback from an interactive workshop and data from field observations. While there was consensus among all informants that women experiencing IPV and seeking abortion have unidentified, unaddressed needs, how any intervention might be organised to address these needs was contested; thus questions remain about whether, when and how to raise the topic of IPV and what to offer. Two major anxieties surfaced: a practical concern in terms of interrupting a streamlined abortion service that suits the majority of staff and patients, and a conceptual concern about risk of stigmatising abortion seekers as ‘victims in crisis’. Thus, our findings indicate: when integrating IPV interventions into abortion services, local context, the integrity of separate pathways, and women’s safety and agency must be considered, especially when abortion rights are under attack. Novel approaches are required and should be researched.

Factors associated with induced abortion among women attending Marie Stopes Clinics in Kathmandu Valley

INTRODUCTION: Though abortion has been legalized in Nepal from September 2002 but it is still a highly stigmatized issue with lots of prevailing misconceptions in the community. In this scenario also each year one lakh abortion are done in Nepal and the number of women seeking abortion services is in increasing trend. Therefore, it is very important to know the reasons behind seeking abortion services by Nepalese women. The overall objective of this study was to assess the factors associated with induced abortion among women attending at Marie Stopes Clinics of Kathmandu Valley.
 MATERIAL AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out over a period of two weeks in the Marie Stopes's clinics of Gongabu and Kupondole sites of Kathmandu among 85 purposively selected women. Face-to-face interview was done by using the semi-structured questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed by using simple descriptive statistics like percentage, frequency, mean and standard deviations and presented in the forms of tables and narratives.
 RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents with standard deviation was 25.5±5.571 years. Around 88 % of the respondents were literate. Majority (91.8%) were married. Around 75 % of the respondents cited, having enough children and wanting no more child now as the main reason behind having abortion. The decision of undergoing abortion was taken by both partners in 89.4% of the respondents. Exactly 62.4% of the respondents were not aware about the possible effects of abortion. Almost 32% of the respondents had the history of previous abortion. Almost 90 % of the respondents had desired to use contraceptive after abortion. Condoms, pills and Depo-Provera were preferred by 41.3%, 22.7% and 13.3% of the respondents for use after undergoing abortion respectively.
 CONCLUSION: It can be concluded from the study that the major reasons behind undergoing abortion were to limit the number of children and desire to postpone the children. About one-third of women have the history of previous abortion and similar proportion has done abortion two to three times. Therefore, this study suggests that long acting FP methods and sterilization services should be made accessible to women so that they could prevent unwanted pregnancy. Also there is need of strengthening counseling services for contraceptive use to women coming for abortion repeatedly.

The effect of abortion on having and achieving aspirational one-year plans.

BackgroundWomen commonly report seeking abortion in order to achieve personal life goals. Few studies have investigated whether an abortion enables women to achieve such goals.MethodsData are from the Turnaway Study, a prospective cohort study of women recruited from 30 abortion facilities across the US. The sample included women in one of four groups: Women who presented for abortion just over the facility’s gestational limit, were denied an abortion and went on to parent the child (Parenting Turnaways, n = 146) or did not parent (Non-Parenting Turnaways, n = 64), those who presented just under the facility’s gestational limit and received an abortion (Near-Limits, n = 413) and those who presented in the first trimester and received an abortion (First Trimesters, n = 254). Participants were interviewed by telephone one week, six months and one year after they sought an abortion. We used mixed effects logistic regression to assess the relationship between receiving versus being denied abortion and having an aspirational one year goal and achieving it.ResultsThe 757 participants in this analysis reported a total of 1,304 one-year plans. The most common one-year plans were related to education (21.3 %), employment (18.9 %), other (16.3 %), and change in residence (10.4 %). Most goals (80 %) were aspirational, defined as a positive plan for the next year. First Trimesters and Near-Limits were over 6 times as likely as Parenting Turnaways to report aspirational one-year plans [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 6.37 and 6.56 respectively, p < 0.001 for both]. Among all plans in which achievement was measurable (n = 1,024, 87 %), Near-Limits (45.6 %, AOR = 1.91, p = 0.003) and Non-Parenting Turnaways (47.9 %, AOR = 2.09, p = 0.026) were more likely to have both an aspirational plan and to have achieved it than Parenting Turnaways (30.4 %).ConclusionsThese findings suggest that ensuring women can have a wanted abortion enables them to maintain a positive future outlook and achieve their aspirational life plans.

Acceptance of family planning methods by induced abortion seekers: An observational study over five years

BackgroundPrior to legalization of abortion, induced abortions were performed in an illegal manner and that resulted in many complications hence abortion was legalized in India in 1971 and the number of induced abortions has been gradually increasing since then. One way of preventing abortions is to provide family planning services to these abortion seekers so that same is not repeated. The study was performed to find out the acceptance of contraception after abortion. MethodsA prospective study was performed over a period of five years from 2010 to 2014. The study group included all the cases reporting for abortion. A proforma was filled in detail to find out the type of contraception being used before pregnancy and acceptance of contraception after abortion. The existing facilities were also evaluated. Results1228 abortions were performed over a period of five years. 94.5% of abortions were during the first trimester. 39.9% had not used any contraceptive before, contraceptives used were natural and barrier which had high failure. The main indication for seeking abortion was failure of contraception and completion of family. 39.6% of patients accepted sterilization as a method of contraception. The existing post abortion family planning services are inadequate. ConclusionPost abortion period is one which is important to prevent subsequent abortions and family planning services after abortion need to be strengthened.

Toll free but not judgment free: evaluating postabortion support services in Ontario

IntroductionCrisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) account for the majority of advertised postabortion support providers in Ontario, Canada's largest and most populous province. Although the deceptive tactics used by CPCs to dissuade women from seeking abortion care are well documented, their provision of postabortion support has not been previously explored. Our study aimed to fill this gap. MethodsIn 2014–2015, we conducted a mystery client study with 17 postabortion support providing organizations in Ontario. We used a predetermined character profile and set of prompts to seek phone-based services. Each interaction began with “I’m looking to talk to someone about my abortion.” The interactions developed organically and mimicked the experience of a woman seeking postabortion support. We audio recorded and transcribed all interactions and used both inductive and deductive analytic techniques in our evaluation. ResultsWe spoke with three secular and three religiously affiliated talklines, one sexual health center and 10 CPCs offering phone-based support. Although all counselors effectively used active listening techniques such as supportive utterances and attentive silences, the interactions with lay counselors from religious talklines and CPCs contained shaming and stigmatizing language and medically inaccurate information. These interactions appear to be premised on the counselors' belief that abortion is traumatic and always requires a grieving process, regardless of the client's expressed feelings and needs. ConclusionsThe expanded provision of postabortion support by CPCs in Ontario represents a new method for these organizations to pathologize abortion. Our findings suggest that their services are judgmental and shaming, thereby contributing to abortion stigma. ImplicationsPostabortion support services appear to be a new frontier by which CPCs are able to stigmatize and pathologize abortion. Increasing awareness of and access to existing nonjudgmental, nondirective postabortion services appears warranted.

Comparison of the contraceptive use and its related factors among women seeking repeat and first-time induced abortions in iran.

Abortion in Iran, like other Islamic countries is severely restricted except in a few exceptions. However, some women who have an unwanted or mistimed pregnancy are seeking abortion. This study aimed to compare the contraceptive use and its related factors among repeat and first- time induced abortion seekers in Iran. In this cross-sectional study, 417 married women (age range, 15-49 years) seeking abortion services at either a hospital or private office in Maku City, the northwest of Iran, were selected through convenience sampling between December 2010 and March 2011. All the subjects were asked about the contraceptive methods used during the three months before the current pregnancy and the use of any emergency contraception and forced sex. Women who mentioned reasons except than completing family size for their applying for abortion were excluded from the analysis. Characteristics of women were examined using chi-square and t test. T test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare contraceptive methods and the regularity of contraceptive use between repeat and first-time abortion seekers, respectively. About 33.8% of the repeat abortion-seekers and 76.8% of first-time abortion seekers were using male methods (withdrawal and condom). Utilization of an intrauterine device for birth control was higher among women seeking repeat abortion than in first-time abortion seekers (P = 0.003). All of 31 pill users in the repeat abortion-seeking group missed three or more pills per month for three times during the three months before contraception. The repeat abortion seekers had used condom more regularly than those in the first-time abortion seekers. Forced sex was more prevalent in the abortion seekers who had used male method. Using male methods are prevalent in abortion-seeker women. An increased focus is needed on training the regular use of pills and using the emergency contraception for all of the couples who are first-time abortion-seekers. Moreover, information about the role of forced sex might be efficacious in decreasing illegally induced repeat abortion in couples who use condom or withdrawal methods.

Le nombre d'IVG est stable, mais moins de femmes y ont recours

Le nombre des interruptions volontaires de grossesse (IVG) est à peu près stable en France, autour de 210 000 par an. L’indice conjoncturel s’établit en 2011 à 0,53 IVG par femme au cours de la vie. Le recours à l’IVG augmente entre 18 et 25 ans (la hausse pour les femmes mineures observée entre 1995 et 2005 a ralenti), et diminue aux âges supérieurs à 25 ans. Le changement de la durée maximale légale de grossesse de 10 à 12 semaines en 2001 avait entraîné une hausse des délais moyens ; depuis 2002 la durée moyenne de grossesse a repris sa baisse, en raison de la diffusion des IVG médicamenteuses (55 % des IVG en 2011). La part des premières IVG poursuit sa diminution, tout comme la part des femmes ayant recours à l’IVG au cours de leur vie : d’après les taux de 2011, une femme sur trois aurait recours à l’IVG. Après une première IVG, la probabilité de recourir à nouveau à l’IVG augmente et atteint 41 % en 2011, contre 28 % en 2002 et 18 % en 1990. En 2002, la probabilité de recourir à une IVG ne variait pas selon les antécédents d’IVG, alors qu’en 2011 la probabilité d’une IVG répétée est plus forte que celle d’une première IVG. Certaines femmes sont donc, plus qu’il y a dix ans, en situation de recourir à l’IVG à différents moments de leur vie.

Preventive lipostasis: spawning lipochondria.

In India, the 1971 Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, while allowing abortions under a broad range of circumstances, can be considered a conservative law from a feminist perspective. The Act allows healthcare providers rather than women seeking abortion to have the final say on abortion, and creates an environment within which women are made dependent on their healthcare providers. On October 29, 2014, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released a draft of the MTP (Amendment) Bill 2014 (1), which proposes changes that could initiate a shift in the focus of the Indian abortion discourse from healthcare providers to women. Such a shift would decrease the vulnerability of women within the clinical setting and free them from subjective interpretations of the law. The Bill also expands the base of healthcare providers by including mid-level and non-allopathic healthcare providers. While the medical community has resisted this inclusion, the author is in favour of it, arguing that in the face of the high rates of unsafe abortion, such a step is both ethical and necessary. Additionally, the clause extending the gestational limit could trigger ethical debates on eugenic abortions and sex- selective abortions. This paper argues that neither of these should be used to limit access to late-trimester termination, and should, instead, be dealt with separately and in a way that enquires into why such pregnancies are considered unwanted. On October 29, 2014 the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) released a draft of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill (1), which proposes to improve access to abortion through steps that will expand the healthcare providers’ base and simultaneously reduce women’s dependency on healthcare providers during the process of seeking abortion. The Bill proposes to train and allow non- allopathic and mid-level healthcare providers to perform abortions. It also outlines the methods of abortion more MTP Amendment Bill, 2014: towards re-imagining abortion care

From Research to Policy Change: Addressing Disparities Among Low-Income Women Seeking Abortion in Oregon

Women seeking abortion frequently encounter barriers that may be socioeconomic, logistical, or social. Of particular concern for policy development, women of lower socioeconomic status are more affected by these barriers (Jones and Weitz 2009). The focus of this article is to describe the process by which applied medical anthropology research was transformed into a joint medical anthropology/public health effort to reduce these barriers. The desired outcome was to create policy change to improve reproductive health care access for low-income women in Oregon. Working in the traditions of applied and critical medical anthropology to improve access to reproductive health care, we sought to utilize data to effect policy improvements and to offer women a tool to advocate on their own behalf.

Knowledge, attitude, practice, and determinants emergency contraceptive use among women seeking abortion services in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.

BackgroundUnplanned pregnancy from casual sex, unplanned sexual activity, and sexual violence are increasing. Emergency Contraceptives (EC) are used to prevent unplanned pregnancies thereby preventing the occurrence and consequences of unplanned pregnancy. Emergency contraception is widely available in Ethiopia particularly in major cities. Yet the use of EC is very low and abortion rate in cities is high compared to the national average.ObjectivesTo assess knowledge, attitude and practice and determinants on the use of emergency contraception among women obtaining abortion service at selected health institutions in Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia.MethodsA facility based cross-sectional study was conducted on 390 women selected by multi-stage random sampling technique. The samples were generated from government and private for non profit health facilities. Participant’s knowledge and attitude towards emergency contraception were measured using composite index based on 7 and 9 questions, respectively and analyzed using mean score to classify them as knowledgeable or not, and have positive attitude or not. Practice was assessed if the women reported ever use of emergency contraception. Determinants of use of emergency contraception were analyzed using logistic regression.ResultOut of 390 women interviewed, 162 women (41.5%) heard about EC, only 133 (34.1%) had good knowledge, and 200 (51.3%) of the respondents had positive attitudes towards to EC. Ever use of EC was reported by 38 (9.7%). Age, living arrangement, education, marital status, religion were found to be significantly associated with the use of emergency contraceptives. Women with poor knowledge were less likely to use EC compared to the knowledgeable ones [AOR = 0.027, 95% CI (0.007, 0.105)].ConclusionThe study identified that most respondents lack adequate knowledge on the method of EC. In addition ever use of EC is very low.RecommendationsHealth professions should give attention in increasing knowledge and uptake of Emergency Contraception.

“Abortion—It Is My Own Body”: Women's Narratives About Influences on Their Abortion Decisions in Ghana

Globally, abortion has emerged as a critical determinant of maternal morbidity and mortality. The Ghana government amended the country's abortion law in 1985 to promote safe abortion. This article discusses the findings of a qualitative study that explored the decision-making experiences of 28 female abortion seekers aged between 15 and 30 years in Ghana. Key findings from the study are that individuals claimed autonomy in their abortion decisions; underlying the abortion decisions were pragmatic concerns such as economic difficulties, child spacing, and fear of parental reaction. In conclusion, we examine the health implications of Ghanaian women's abortion decisions.

The Lived Experience of Teen Girls’ Abortion in Taiwan

In-depth interviews about the experience after having an abortion were conducted with 20 teenage girls in Taiwan. Six themes emerged by using Colaizzi’s phenomenological methodology: (a) returning to “normal” life as soon as possible, (b) seeking abortion resources, (c) neglecting post-abortion care, (d) disturbed by the fetus ghost, (e) concern about virginity loss and choices for future, and (f) re-examining relationships with partners. Teenage girls received tremendous social and moral pressure due to their traditional cultural and social environment when they went through the abortion experience. The study helps health professionals understand the experience of those girls.

Evaluating the Effect of the Parental Notification Law on Minors Seeking Abortions in New Hampshire

INTRODUCTION: In 2012, New Hampshire enacted a parental notification requirement for minors seeking an abortion with the rationale that parental involvement will decrease abortion rates in minors. Previous studies have demonstrated conflicting results with respect to changes in abortion rates and rates of parental involvement and often failed to account for crossing state borders to obtain an abortion. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed within the Planned Parenthood of Northern New England system including Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. All abortions performed on minors for the year before (2011) and after (2012) the enactment of the law were reviewed. Abortion rates, gestational age, and parental involvement were noted. RESULTS: A total of 103 abortions were performed during the study period with a decrease from 57 to 46 after enactment of the law (P=.641). Average gestational age increased from 7.77 to 8.35 completed weeks (95% confidence interval −1.44 to 28, P=.183). No change was detected in the number of New Hampshire minors seeking abortions out of state; however, we observed a decrease in Massachusetts minors seeking abortions in New Hampshire (n=30 compared with n=8, P=.011). Both parental awareness and presence at the time of abortion increased among New Hampshire minors (68–89%, P=.017 and 58–78%, P=.050, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The parental notification law did not significantly affect the abortion rate or gestational age among minors seeking abortions. There was, however, a significant decrease in Massachusetts minors seeking abortions in New Hampshire and a significant increase in parental involvement after enactment of the law.

Attitudes Toward Over‐the‐Counter Access To Oral Contraceptives Among a Sample Of Abortion Clients in the United States

Women having abortions are at high risk for future unintended pregnancy, and removing the prescription requirement for oral contraceptives may increase continuation and adoption of this effective method. A survey fielded from May to July 2011 collected information from 651 women aged 15-46 seeking abortion services at six urban clinics from across the United States. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses were conducted to estimate women's interest in over-the-counter access to oral contraceptives. Eighty-one percent of respondents supported over-the-counter access to oral contraceptives; while 42% of women planned to use the pill after their abortion, 61% said they would likely use this method if it were available over the counter. Thirty-three percent of women who planned to use no contraceptive following their abortion said they would use an over-the-counter pill, as did 38% who planned to use condoms afterward. In multivariable analysis, several subgroups had increased odds of likely over-the-counter use: women who were older than 19 (odds ratios, 1.8 for those aged 20-29 and 1.6 for those aged 30-46), were uninsured (1.5), had ever used the pill (1.4), had had difficulty obtaining a prescription refill for hormonal contraceptives (2.7) or planned to use the pill postabortion (13.0). By contrast, compared with white respondents, women of other races or ethnicities were less likely to say they would use over-the-counter pills (0.4-0.7). Interest in a hypothetical over-the-counter oral contraceptive was high in this sample, and this delivery model has the potential to reduce unintended pregnancy among abortion patients.

Implementing a Prospective Study of Women Seeking Abortion in the United States: Understanding and Overcoming Barriers to Recruitment

BackgroundThe Turnaway Study is designed to prospectively study the outcomes of women who sought—but did not all obtain—abortions. This design permits more accurate inferences about the health consequences of abortion for women, but requires the recruitment of a large number of women from remote health care facilities to a study a sensitive topic. This paper explores the Turnaway Study's recruitment process. MethodsFrom 2008 to 2010, the staff at 30 abortion-providing facilities recruited eligible female patients. Eight interventions were evaluated using multilevel logistic regression for their impact on eligible patients being approached, approached patients agreeing to go through informed consent by phone, and enrolled patients completing the baseline interview. FindingsAfter site visits, patients had roughly twice the odds of being approached by facility staff and twice the odds of then agreeing to go through informed consent. When all recruitment steps were considered together, the net effect of site visits was to increase the odds that eligible patients participated by nearly a factor of six. After the introduction of a patient gift card incentive, patients had over three times the odds of agreeing to go through informed consent. With each passing month, however, staff demonstrated a 9% reduced odds of approaching eligible patients about the study. ConclusionPrioritizing scientific rigor over the convenience of using existing datasets, the Turnaway Study confronted recruitment challenges common to medical practice-based studies and unique to sensitive services. Visiting sites and communicating frequently with facility staff, as well as offering incentives to patients to hear more about the study before informed consent, may help to increase participation in prospective health studies and facilitate evaluation of sensitive women's health services.

Prior Family Planning Experiences of Obese Women Seeking Abortion Care

BackgroundThe prevalence of obesity among women of reproductive age calls for research focused on strategies that ensure obese women receive high-quality reproductive health care. This study adds to this literature on service delivery by exploring obese women's experiences receiving or avoiding family planning care. MethodsWe included 651 women seeking abortion care who completed iPad surveys about their previous family planning experiences. FindingsOne quarter were classified as obese, with almost 5% morbidly obese. Only 1% of obese women reported avoiding family planning care. More than 12% of morbidly obese women reported not having their family planning needs met (pap smears, sexually transmitted infection testing, or ultrasonography). This is compared with only 2% among overweight and obese women and 0% among normal and underweight women. Almost 10% of obese and morbidly obese women reported that at least one of the previous family planning clinics they had visited was not prepared to provide care for heavier women and around 25% of obese women reported at least one item in the clinic (such as blood pressure cuffs and examination gowns) was not adequate for their size. ResultsContrary to expectations, we did not find that obese women avoided family planning care. However, morbidly obese women reported not having all of their family planning needs met when they attended care. Family planning providers should ensure that their facilities have the capacity to meet the family planning needs of obese women and that they have adequate equipment to care for this population of women.

Abortion barriers and perceptions of gestational age among women seeking abortion care in the latter half of the second trimester

ObjectiveLater second-trimester abortion (gestational age ≥19 weeks) is higher risk, more expensive and more difficult to access than abortion earlier in pregnancy. We sought to enumerate barriers to care described by women seeking abortion in the latter half of the second trimester. We also assessed the accuracy of later second-trimester abortion patients’ perceptions of their pregnancies’ gestational ages. Study DesignA retrospective analysis of data from 232 women served by a referral program for women seeking abortion care between 19 and 24 weeks of gestational age was performed. Data collected included demographics, pregnancy history, gestational age by ultrasound, perceived gestational age, barriers to abortion care experienced and time lapsed from pregnancy recognition to presentation for care. ResultsDifficulty deciding whether to terminate (44.8%), financial barriers to care (22.0%) and the patient having recently realized she was pregnant (21.6%) were the most common delaying barriers cited. Nearly half (46.6%) of women underestimated their own gestational ages by greater than 4 weeks. Risk factors for experiencing at least 3 months time lapsed from pregnancy recognition to program referral included difficulty deciding whether to terminate [odds ratio (OR) 4.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.51–8.70] and nonwhite race/ethnicity (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.16–3.57). ConclusionsWomen seeking abortion care in the latter half of the second trimester encounter many of the same barriers previously identified among other abortion patient populations. Because many risk factors for delayed presentation for care are not amenable to intervention, abortion must remain available later in the second trimester. ImplicationsWomen presenting for abortion in the later second trimester are delayed by structural and individual-level barriers, and many substantially underestimate their own gestational age. Removing financial barriers may help reduce abortion delay; however, many risk factors are nonmodifiable, underscoring the need to ensure access to later second-trimester abortion.

The prevalence of posttraumatic stress among women requesting induced abortion

Objectives To describe the prevalence and pattern of traumatic experiences, to assess the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), to identify risk factors for PTSD and PTSS, and to analyse the association of PTSD and PTSS with concomitant anxiety and depressive symptoms in women requesting induced abortion.Methods A Swedish multi-centre study of women requesting an induced abortion. The Screen Questionnaire – Posttraumatic Stress Disorder was used for research diagnoses of PTSD and PTSS. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were evaluated by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).Results Of the 1514 respondents, almost half reported traumatic experiences. Lifetime- and point prevalence of PTSD were 7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.8–8.5) and 4% (95% CI: 3.1–5.2), respectively. The prevalence of PTSS was 23% (95% CI: 21.1–25.4). Women who reported symptoms of anxiety or depression when requesting abortion were more likely to have ongoing PTSD or PTSS. Also single-living women and smokers displayed higher rates of ongoing PTSD.Conclusions Although PTSD is rare among women who request an induced abortion, a relatively high proportion suffers from PTSS. Abortion seeking women with trauma experiences and existing or preexisting mental disorders need more consideration and alertness when counselled for termination.

Understanding why women seek abortions in the US.

BackgroundThe current political climate with regards to abortion in the US, along with the economic recession may be affecting women’s reasons for seeking abortion, warranting a new investigation into the reasons why women seek abortion.MethodsData for this study were drawn from baseline quantitative and qualitative data from the Turnaway Study, an ongoing, five-year, longitudinal study evaluating the health and socioeconomic consequences of receiving or being denied an abortion in the US. While the study has followed women for over two full years, it relies on the baseline data which were collected from 2008 through the end of 2010. The sample included 954 women from 30 abortion facilities across the US who responded to two open ended questions regarding the reasons why they wanted to terminate their pregnancy approximately one week after seeking an abortion.ResultsWomen’s reasons for seeking an abortion fell into 11 broad themes. The predominant themes identified as reasons for seeking abortion included financial reasons (40%), timing (36%), partner related reasons (31%), and the need to focus on other children (29%). Most women reported multiple reasons for seeking an abortion crossing over several themes (64%). Using mixed effects multivariate logistic regression analyses, we identified the social and demographic predictors of the predominant themes women gave for seeking an abortion.ConclusionsStudy findings demonstrate that the reasons women seek abortion are complex and interrelated, similar to those found in previous studies. While some women stated only one factor that contributed to their desire to terminate their pregnancies, others pointed to a myriad of factors that, cumulatively, resulted in their seeking abortion. As indicated by the differences we observed among women’s reasons by individual characteristics, women seek abortion for reasons related to their circumstances, including their socioeconomic status, age, health, parity and marital status. It is important that policy makers consider women’s motivations for choosing abortion, as decisions to support or oppose such legislation could have profound effects on the health, socioeconomic outcomes and life trajectories of women facing unwanted pregnancies.

Pregnancy Among Unmarried Adolescents and Young Adults

To determine the risk factors for pregnancy among unmarried adolescents and young adults. Case-control study was done over a period of 2 years. Data collected from 181 unmarried abortion seekers and 181 unmarried non-pregnant controls (≤24years) attending three Medical Colleges of Kerala. Logistic regression analysis showed a strong association between unmarried adolescent pregnancy and lack of parental supervision and control (OR 8.74, P=0.000), poor intra-family relationship (OR 7.01, P=0.000), family problem (OR 4.41, P=0.000), lack of knowledge on sexual and reproductive health (OR 4.95, P=0.0003), and non-engagement of adolescent in any productive activity (OR 4.41, P=0.0373). Lack of parental control, family problem, poor intra-family relationship, lack of knowledge on sexual and reproductive health, and lack of engaging in any productive activity were found to be significant predictors for unmarried adolescent pregnancy.