Abstract
Unsafe abortion is one of the leading causes in developing countries where the rate of obtaining an abortion is high due to financial issues and the desire of a male child. This paper is extracted from a study about the roles of midwives in unsafe and induced abortions in the urban slums of Karachi city. The objective of this paper is to discuss the causes of induced abortions and to explore the experiences of women having induced abortions. In this study the researcher used both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The data was collected from 200 women who had induced abortions. The data were collected by a purposive sampling method using an interview guide. The interview guide included questions about the causes of abortions, problems faced by women during the process, and effects on the social and economic aspects of their lives. Results show that the major reason of induced abortion is poverty, including others like enlarging the family size and family pressure due to economic burden, male child preference, social stigmas and sometimes due to partner choice. The findings of the study suggest that abortion is a traumatic experience that involved intentionally death of an unborn child. It has also been discovered that women experience abortion, felt grief, shame, sorrow, and depression. The study concludes that induced abortion is used as a contraceptive method by poor women. As they are performed in unhygienic and illegal methods, they become a health risk that affects women's lives socially, economically, physically, and psychologically. The findings of the study will help in understanding the problems faced by women having induced abortions. Additionally, it would also assist in developing gender-based reproductive health programs in developing countries.
Zain Iftikhar. (2020) Women's experiences and perspectives of induced abortions in urban slum areas of Karachi, Pakistan, Pakistan Journal of Gender Studies, Vol. 20, Issue 2.
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