Women and Abortions: The Reasoning Behind the Decision

December 13, 2005

A woman's decision to have an abortion is "motivated by multiple, diverse and interrelated reasons," according to a recently released study by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, which conducted a structured survey of 1,209 abortion patients at 11 large abortion providers nationwide, in addition to in-depth interviews.

Seventy-four percent of the women said that having a child would interfere with their ability to care for other dependents or with their ability to work or complete their education. Nearly half said that they did not want to be a single mother or that they were having relationship problems. One fourth said if they had another child it would hinder their capability to raise their existing children and/or children they plan to have in the future; another 23% of the women said they simply could not afford to have a/another child.

Younger women frequently stated that they were not prepared for the transition to motherhood and older women often said that they were already obligated to care for dependents and/or had already completed their childbearing Generally women offered more than one reason for their decision to have an abortion. These data, which have remained consistent for more than a decade, demonstrate that women make very conscious and rational decisions about choosing abortion, after a thoughtful examination of their present ability to care for a child, or another child.

Despite the repeated studies and clear evidence regarding women's decision-making, misperceptions still exist and continue to be reinforced by those who oppose abortion for any reason. The evidence proves what we have said all along: that women do not take lightly the decision to have an abortion.

Sharon Camp, President and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute, said that "The reality is that women don't set out to have an abortion per se, but rather choose not to have a baby at that time." Camp also indicates that this survey supports the need to focus the discussion on how to prevent unintended pregnancy and not on why women have abortions.

NOW advocates for better access to contraception, including over-the-counter sale of emergency contraception (EC), which would help to reduce the number of women who face an unplanned pregnancy. In addition, increasing the funding for Title X family planning programs and assuring sufficient funding for Medicaid programs that provide reproductive health care to low income women is critically important. Finally, passing legislation that requires insurance companies cover prescription contraceptives as part of the overall coverage for prescription medicine would eliminate many unplanned pregnancies. However, such legislation has been languishing in Congress.

"Unfortunately, the Bush administration and anti-birth control Republican leaders in Congress are undercutting all these programs, holding back quality women's health care legislation and assuring that the number of unwanted pregnancies, and therefore the need for abortion services, remains high," NOW President Kim Gandy points out.