1: an operation or other intervention to end a pregnancy by removing an embryo or fetus from the womb.
2: an offensive term for something that is so badly done or made that is a complete failure.
3: the ending of a flight or mission before it is complete.
Two Types of Abortion
1. Medical abortion (also called medication abortion or non-surgical abortion)
2. Surgical abortion
Why Teens Choose Abortion
Teens facing an unplanned pregnancy choose abortion for similar reasons as women in their twenties and thirties. Teens ask the same questions: Do I want this baby? Can I afford to raise a child? How will this impact my life? Am I ready to be a mother?
Coming to a Decision
A teen considering abortion is influenced by where she lives, her religious beliefs, her relationship with her parents, access to family planning services, and the behavior of her peer group. Her educational level and socioeconomic status also play a role.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, the reasons teens most often give for having an abortion are:
Not wanting their lives changed by the birth of a baby
Not being able to afford a baby
Not feeling mature or responsible enough to raise a child
Why Women Choose Abortion - Statistical Breakdown of Reasons For Abortion
By the Numbers - Statistical Breakdown of Reasons
In a study released by the Guttmacher Institute in 2005, women were asked to provide reasons why they chose to have an abortion (multiple responses were permissible). Of those who gave at least one reason:
89% gave at least two
72% gave at least three
Nearly three-quarters said they could not afford to have a baby.
Of those women who gave two or more answers, the most common response -- inability to afford a baby -- was most frequently followed by one of three other reasons: pregnancy/birth/baby would interfere with school or employment reluctant to be a single mother or experiencing relationship problems done with childbearing or already have other children/dependents
Below is a breakdown of women's responses that specified reasons that led to their abortion decision (percentage total will not add up to 100% as multiple answers were permissible):
74% felt "having a baby would dramatically change my life" (which includes interrupting education, interfering with job and career, and/or concern over other children or dependents)
73% felt they "can't afford a baby now" (due to various reasons such as being unmarried, being a student, inability to afford childcare or basic needs of life, etc.)
48% "don't want to be a single mother or [were] having relationship problem[s]"
38% "have completed [their] childbearing"
32% were "not ready for a(nother) child"
25% "don't want people to know I had sex or got pregnant"
22% "don't feel mature enough to raise a(nother) child"
14% felt their "husband or partner wants me to have an abortion"
13% said there were "possible problems affecting the health of the fetus"
12% said there were "physical problems with my health"
6% felt their "parents want me to have an abortion"
1% said they were "a victim of rape"
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