Reasons women give for contemplating or undergoing abortion: a qualitative investigation in Victoria, Australia

To increase understanding of women's perspectives on considering or undergoing elective abortion.

Qualitative study.

A large public women's hospital in the state of Victoria, Australia.

Sixty women who had contacted a public pregnancy advisory service in Victoria, Australia, seeking information, advice, or appointments in relation to an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy.

Qualitative telephone interviews. The iterative qualitative analysis employed the five stages of a thematic framework approach.

Themes in women's accounts of considering or undergoing elective abortion.

Women's accounts emphasized their reasons for considering or seeking abortion. Decisions were made in the context of their lives as a whole; influences were usually contingent and multiple. Reasons related to the woman herself, the potential child, existing children, her partner and other significant relationships, and financial matters.

This research used qualitative methods to produce the only recent study of its kind in Australia. Women's accounts reveal the complex personal and social contexts within which reproductive events must be comprehended and the thoughtfulness with which they make decisions. Results of this research will assist health-care professionals to increase their insights into women's reproductive experiences.