Thursday, August 23, 2012

Distressing Life Events and Poverty Behind Many Abortions in U.S., Study Finds

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120820205056.htm

ScienceDaily (Aug. 20, 2012) — Most women accessing abortion services in the US have faced a major life stressor, such as job loss or separation, in the preceding year, finds research published online in the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care.

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The disruptive events included job loss, separation, falling behind on rental/mortgage payments, death of a close friend, a serious health problem, a partner being sent to prison and becoming a victim of crime.

Poverty in the US is defined as an annual income before tax of $17,500 for a family of three: in 2008, 13% of US residents met this criterion.

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Women said that the fall-out from one disruptive event could set up a chain reaction. For example, one woman's grief following the death of her mother kept her from leaving an abusive partner.

A higher proportion of women living in poverty (63%) had experienced at least one such event over the previous year than had affluent women (49%).

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About half of the women were using contraception in the month they became pregnant, but the in-depth interviews showed that nearly half of these women said that disruptive events interfered with contraceptive use.

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