Concepedia

Abstract

The International Center for Research on Women designed and implemented an innovative large-scale household-based study in India in order to better understand the interrelationships of contraceptive options and abortion prevalence for women in developing countries. This study explores the domestic societal service-related and policy-related context of the occurrence and resolution of unwanted pregnancies among a sample of approximately 2400 women. It was conducted from 1999-2002 in the state of Madhya Pradesh in partnership with the International Institute for Population Studies Mumbai and the Government Medical College Nagpur. The central questions motivating the research were: How are womens reproductive rights and choice manifested in the decision-making processes that determine contraceptive use the occurrence of unwanted pregnancies and the resolution of unwanted pregnancies? Under what circumstances are the actions that women take--or fail to take--indicative of their ability to formulate and act upon reproductive choices? (excerpt)