Young women? experiences in clandestine abortion ? a sociological approach

Abstract

This paper, based on qualitative research, compatible with the analysis of clandestine abortion as a complex social phenomenon, presents the experiences of young women who had such abortions. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 16 young women between 18 and 29 years of age, patients at a public Family Health Service. Of 44 pregnancies which had occurred, half were ended by abortion. Our results show that the possibility of abortion was greater for pregnancies resulting from unstable relationships with different partners, in contexts of financial difficulties, so that clandestine abortion may be considered to be the end of the line of a process of “desfiliation”, in contexts where unemployment and poverty turn family relationships fragile and unsustainable.