Decisionmaking Regarding Unwanted Pregnancy among Adolescents in Mexico City: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean confront difficult decisions when faced with unwanted pregnancies, especially given the region's legal restrictions on and widespread cultural opposition to abortion. Little research has been conducted on pregnancy decisionmaking among young people in this region. This study examines the role of peers, partners, family members, and health-care providers in adolescents' decisionmaking regarding pregnancy continuation or termination in Mexico City shortly after abortion was legalized in 2007. Qualitative in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted in 2009 with participants aged 13-17 who experienced an unwanted pregnancy. Although participants were able to formulate preferences regarding pregnancy resolution, parents' wishes usually prevailed when their wishes conflicted. Peers were generally found to be supportive, whereas the role of partners varied. Results indicate the need for comprehensive sexuality education to promote adolescents' autonomy, mechanisms other than legal mandates to encourage constructive parental involvement, and confidential counseling from health professionals offering options and supporting adolescents'ability to act on their decisions.

Beyond the discourse of reproductive choice: narratives of pregnancy resolution among Latina/o teenage parents

“…a major event in the life course can affect a person's -regardless of their age -entire family, including their economic situation, childcare responsibilities and other important dimensions of work-family life, and for pregnant teenagers in particular, their parents' investment and involvement in the outcome is understandable (Tatum et al 2012). While well-documented cultural norms within Latino families may be relevant here, the fact that some of the participants resisted family members' directives to end their pregnancies indicates that neoliberal appeals to personal responsibility can be a useful strategy for asserting autonomy in the face of familial pressure to make a different choice.…”

“…Less attention has been paid to what happens during the time in between the discovery that one is pregnant and the decision to carry that pregnancy to term and become a parent. The literature that examines teenagers' unintended pregnancy resolution process rarely uses individual, in-depth interview data and most is not US-focused (Bell, Glover, and Alexander 2014;Gomez-Scott and Cooney 2014;Greene 2006;Hoggart 2012;Lee et al 2006;Mantovani and Thomas 2014;Tatum et al 2012). Of the studies that focus on teenage pregnancy resolution in the USA in the past 20 years, most take a comparative, quantitative approach, examining selected demographic and personal characteristics of pregnant teenagers who choose a variety of alternatives, such as abortion, adoption or parenthood (Adamczyk and Felson 2008;Coleman 2006;Gomez-Scott and Cooney 2014;Madkour, Xie, and Harville 2013;Moore and Davidson 2002;Murry 1995).…”

The Sociology of Women's Abortion Experiences: Recent Research and Future Directions

“…Young women are found to talk about pregnancy decisions in terms of ‘responsibility’ and ‘readiness’, and to particularly value autonomous decision‐making when their own values are felt to be at odds with others related to that process (in this context parents or guardians). Where some young women may initially have felt they had come to a decision by themselves, reliance on help from significant others to realise that decision may result in a loss of autonomy as parents take over the decision‐making role (Tatum et al ).…”

Social Networks and the Communication of Norms About Prenatal Care in Rural Mexico

“…Although the interviews took place in private or semi-private rooms in homes or the clinic, sometimes participants were accompanied by a family member during the interview, or their responses were within hearing distance of others, despite our best efforts to avoid these situations. In this region, it is common for young women to be accompanied by their husband or older women, particularly to OB=GYN visits (Tatum, Rueda, Bain, Clyde, & Carino, 2012) and some were not willing to be interviewed without this person present. This lack of privacy may have limited the depth of information participants were willing to share with the interviewers.…”