Contraceptive risk taking and abortion: results and implications of a San Francisco Bay Area study

A study of 500 abortion-seeking women in the San Francisco Bay area, in California, revealed that, although a majority of them had used contraceptives previously, only a minority had consistently used effective contraceptives. This paper presents a theory of contraceptive risk taking and analyzes the decision making process described by 50 of the women during in-depth interviews. The decision not to contracept is shown to be the result of a rational process of "cost accounting." To decrease the need for abortion, it is argued, programs that change attitudes toward sexual behavior and that give women increasing economic opportunities are needed in addition to programs that make contraceptives more available.