‘abortion decision making in a culture of ‘intensive motherhood’’
DESCRIPTION
In contemporary US society, abortion and motherhood are often regarded as opposing interests. Yet the majority of US women who have abortions (61%) have children and most of those who do not yet have children want to have them at some point in the future. Based on interviews with US women obtaining abortions, we identify the ways that issues of motherhood influence and inform women’s decisions to terminate their pregnancies. We find that material responsibilities of motherhood, such as caring for existing children, influenced the decision to have an abortion among women who were already mothers. More abstractly, women discussed, and appeared to be influenced by, high standards of ‘good parenting’.TRANSCRIPT
What the Numbers Mean: Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes for Women of Color
Abortion decision making in a culture of intensive motherhood
Rachel K. JonesPregnancy and Pregnancy Planning in the New Parenting Culture
23 June, 20101Who Has Abortions: Poverty StatusSource: Jones et al., 20102Who Has Abortions: Race/EthnicitySource: Jones et al., 20103Who Has Abortions: Marital StatusSource: Jones et al., 20104Who Has Abortions: Prior AbortionSource: Jones et al., 20105Who Has Abortions: AgeSource: Jones et al., 20106 Abortions by Gestational Age(Weeks Since Last Menstrual Period)
Source: Henshaw adjustments to Strauss et al., 2006 (2005 data)Weeks% of abortions7 An estimated 0.08% of abortions are performed after 24 weeks, when the fetus may be viable. Assumption that women have abortions because they dont want childrenThe woman who gets the abortion and the woman who gives birth are the same woman at different stages of life.
Originally stated by Rachel Gates in 1970s (worked in clinic, activist), repeated by Will Saletan (journalist, writes about pop/political culture)8But the facts indicate otherwiseIn 2008, 61% of women having abortions are mothers35% have two or more children23%