Abortion and Domestic Violence

Abstract

This article addresses women’s experiences of abortion in the context of domestic violence, more specifically the decision-making process and the influence of the perpetrators in their decision. The data were collected through semistructured individual interviews with four Canadian women, aged between 23 and 36 years at the time of the interviews. Overall, the findings suggest that the factors influencing women’s decision can be grouped into the following four categories: domestic violence, the women’s individual situation, the couple’s situation, and external constraints. Implications for policies and practice are discussed.