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Understanding Why Women Seek Abortions | Orlando Women’s Center.

One of the significant accusations leveled against women who seek an abortion is that they are using it as an easy way out of their responsibilities. Many anti-abortion advocates accuse women of using frivolous reasons to get an abortion. However, this is not the case, and many women agonize about it before making the decision.

By the time they make the decision, they fully understand this is their only best option. Abortion is a standard procedure in the US, with one in every four women expected to have an abortion by 45 years. This fact points out the different women from all walks of life and backgrounds who are faced with the decision to terminate their pregnancy.

Understanding why women seek abortions will help you know you are not alone and understand how different circumstances influence their decisions. It has nothing to do with not being a mother since six out of every ten women who choose to have an abortion already have children. Also, not all abortions result from an unplanned pregnancy, with a significant number being done because the mother could not carry the pregnancy to term due to health complications.

The public misperceptions and the fact that abortion is one of the most stigmatized procedures makes this decision even harder for women. Many still view women who seek abortion as being irresponsible for not using contraception. Yet, half of the women who have an abortion were using different contraceptives, which failed.

According to research, women who decide to have an abortion do so after lengthy consideration of its moral accepts and do view their choice as the correct and most responsible decision that they could make. In a comprehensive study over five years on why women seek to have abortions, one study established that these reasons are complex and interrelated. The main reasons why women seek abortion fell into 11 main themes, according to the survey.

Financial issues were cited by most women at 46%, while timing and partner-related reasons accounted for the second and third most common reasons at 36% and 31%, respectively. More evident in the study was that most women (64%) had multiple reasons that cut across all the themes explaining their reasons for abortion. Here is an overview of the reasons why women choose to have an abortion.

Financial issues

Not being financially prepared is a problem many women cite. It is also one of the factors that cut across through most of the other reasons given. Both women who are already mothers and those yet to have any children face this reason almost equally. Financial issues range from having a job, debts, ability to pay through maternity costs and care for the baby, having a stable place of stay, and not struggling with debts.

Healthcare costs alone are a significant consideration as well as the new needs for the child then schooling. All these costs, including the woman’s needs, will impact how well she feels she is prepared to have a baby.

Bad timing

Timing is another primary reason women will not carry a pregnancy to term. It is a top reason for most unplanned pregnancies. Timing may be a factor of age, financial preparedness, and several other circumstances that influence the woman or girl’s readiness to have a child. Having a baby at the wrong time can affect the woman’s physical and psychological issues and the child’s upbringing.

Partner related issues

Women may also choose to have an abortion if there are issues with the partner, which would affect their ability to raise the kid together in a healthy environment. First, if the relationship is new, women may not be ready to have a baby with their partner due to uncertainty present. If they also believe they have the wrong partner who is unsuportive or does not want the baby, they will also consider abortion instead of having to raise the child as single mothers.

In other instances, the partner may be abusive, which further endangers the woman and her child if she decides to carry the pregnancy to term.

They need to focus on other children

This reason applies to women already having other children. Any new child will impact the mother’s ability to care for the other children. Newborn babies need constant care, and if the other children still require the full attention of their mother, she will be stretched out thin. Most mothers choose abortion to be in a position to offer all the children the necessary care, and a new baby may jeopardize that.

Being emotionally or mentally unprepared

Carrying a baby to term requires mental and emotional preparation on the mother’s part. The woman has to accept she will be a mother and prepare for it, which is not as evident as it sounds, especially in the case of an unplanned pregnancy. This preparation is not possible, primarily, if influenced by other circumstances. It may affect the woman’s emotional health, resulting in anxiety and depression, which could also affect the unborn baby’s health.

Pregnancy interferes with her education and career plans

Closely related to timing is the incidence where carrying the pregnancy to full term will interfere with the woman’s career and educational plans. Carrying a pregnancy to full-term is demanding and, in the latter periods, even limits most of the usual activities the woman used to undertake. Education and careers, especially in demanding roles, will be affected by the woman required to take an extended break.

In many circumstances where the pregnancy is not planned, this decision can be costly and sets back the woman for almost a year or more if she carries the pregnancy to term.

Health-related issues

Health-related issues can even lead to the termination of planned pregnancies. The health issues could be on the mother or the fetus. Carrying the baby to term could pose fatal health risks to the mother if she has underlying health conditions or her use of substances. Both prescriptions and non-prescription drugs may have compromised her ability to deliver the baby safely.

In other instances, parents learn that their unborn baby will be born with severe disabilities or chronic conditions that will affect their ability to enjoy a quality standard of life. In all these cases, the woman may opt to terminate her pregnancy to save herself or spare the child the condition’s agony.

They want their baby to have a better life than they could provide

Women want their children to have a better life where possible, much better than they had growing up. While this reason has a financial aspect, it goes further than that too. They may want to be in a position where they can spend more time with their child, have a reliable partner, and a healthy environment to raise a baby. Women from backgrounds that included any of these or other adverse circumstances are most affected and would not readily let the same happen to their child.

They are not independent or mature enough to have a baby

This reason is mostly a function of age and still has aspects of finance to it. Young mother’s struggle with coping with the demands of motherhood, which may affect both them and their children. Women still dependent on their parents will also not want to add an extra burden. It is also likely they are dealing with other issues and may have other additional reasons already discussed.

There are being influenced or coerced into having the abortion by family and friends

In other circumstances, women get pressured, influenced, or coerced into having an abortion. This option will affect women if having an abortion is not a personal decision. People around the woman may see her options as limited or could just be serving their interests. Yet from the study, 5% of the respondents were influenced by friends and family into having an abortion.

They do not want to have the baby or to place him up for adoption

Adoption is usually presented as an alternative to abortion when, in reality, these two are not equivalent options. Opting for approval means carrying the baby to term which from the reasons already covered can be complicated and even dangerous. Even in cases where the woman can successfully, they have to face the emotional and mental agony of having to give up the baby, a decision that could easily affect them all their life. Therefore, women who do not want to have the baby and are not ready to place them for adoption, abortion is the only option.

You could be having this or any other reasons and even a combination of several reasons. Only you can truly understand your circumstances, and abortion is a personal decision. At the Women’s Center, we are here to inform, educate, and guide you through the process. We have been helping women have an abortion for over 25 years. We can help you with a varied number of abortion options, and we perform first and second-trimester abortions and late-term abortions, including 3-24 abortions.

We also help women with congenital anomalies and fetal abnormalities. Contact us today at Email 24hourabortion@gmail.com or call us directly on 407-245-7999 and book an appointment or answer to your question.

Dr James S Pendergraft | Orlando Women’s Center | Abortion Clinic Orlando