Women and abortion: attitudes, social networks, decision-making
Faria, G.; Barrett, E.; Goodman, L.M.
Social Work in Health Care 11(1): 85-99
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0098-1389 PMID: 4081975 DOI: 10.1300/j010v11n01_06Document Number: 575521
The results of a study of 517 US women seeking abortion at 2 outpatient abortion clinics and 1 family planning agency in South Central Kansas are presented regarding attitudes about abortion in general, feelings about the specific decision to have an abortion and the social networks utilized in the decision-making process. Questionnaires were used to collect the data before the abortion procedure. Study subjects tended to have positive attitudes about abortion as an alternative to an unwanted pregnancy. They also tended to have positive feelings about their personal decision. 72% stated that they sought help from someone regarding what to do about their pregnancy. 41% had spoken with their partners, and 29% talked with friends. 21% discussed their pregnancy with a physician, 15% talked with their mothers, and 10% spoke with other family members. Only 4% discussed the issue with their fathers and 1% spoke to a member of the clergy. An additional 6% spoke with "others," which included nurses, social workers, and other professionals. 27% of the sample indicated that they had sought professional counseling. Parenting readiness was the reason most often given for having an abortion. Lack of financial resources was the next largest category, followed by no partner. The findings indicate that although women arrive at the decision to have an abortion from very divergent pathways, most of them go through the decision-making process with no apparent difficulty. However, there are some women for whom this process seems to be more problematic. Those women who are non-white, non-Protestant, younger, less educated, with less income, non-contraceptive users, or lacking a supportive social network appear to be at risk of encountering potentially severe conflicts along the path to a decision. Clearly this is the group toward which social work services must be directed.