Why Do Some Women Have Abortions 239
Abortion and Complications
from Abortion
If family planning
methods fail, safe and
legal abortion is a
woman’s safety net.
When a woman does something to end a pregnancy, this is
called an ‘abortion’. We use the word abortion in this book only
to describe an action that is planned. The unplanned, natural loss
of a pregnancy we call a ‘miscarriage’.
Deciding to have an abortion is always hard. Some religions
teach that abortion is wrong and in many countries abortion is
not legal or safe. But there are many reasons a woman may try to
have an abortion anyway. Here are some examples:
• She already has all the children she can care for.
• A pregnancy is a danger to her health or her life.
• She has no partner to help support the child.
• She wants to finish school.
• She does not want to have children.
• She got pregnant after being forced to have sex.
• Someone is forcing her to have an abortion.
• The child will be born with serious problems (birth defects).
• She has HIV or AIDS.
➤ Lack of family
planning services and
lack of information
about sex lead to
unwanted pregnancy
and abortion.
Why Do
Some
Women
Have
Abortions?
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012