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Human Reproduction, Vol. 14, No. 10, 2669-2675, October 1999
© 1999 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

The male partner involved in legal abortion

A. Kero1, A. Lalos1,3, U. Högberg1 and L. Jacobsson2

1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and 2 Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital, SE-901 85 Umeå, Sweden

This study comprises 75 men who have been involved in legal abortion. The men answered a questionnaire concerning living conditions and attitudes about pregnancy and abortion. Most men were found to be in stable relationships with good finances. More than half clearly stated that they wanted the woman to have an abortion while 20 stressed that they submitted themselves to their partner's decision. Only one man wanted the woman to complete the pregnancy. Apart from wanting children within functioning family units, the motivation for abortion revealed that the desire to have children depended on the ability to provide qualitatively good parenting. More than half the men had discussed with their partner what to do in event of pregnancy and half had decided to have an abortion if a pregnancy occurred. More than half expressed ambivalent feelings about the coming abortion, using words such as anxiety, responsibility, guilt, relief and grief. In spite of these contradictory feelings, prevailing expectations concerning lifestyle make abortion an acceptable form of birth control. A deeper understanding of the complexity of legal abortion makes it necessary to accept the role of paradox, which the ambivalence reflects. Obviously, men must constitute a target group in efforts to prevent abortions.

Key words: ambivalence/attitudes/legal abortion/male/motives

3 To whom correspondence should be addressed


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