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INDUCED ABORTIONS IN PAKISTAN: EXPOSITIONS, DESTINATIONS AND REPERCUSSIONS. A QUALITATIVE DESCRIPTIVE STUDY IN RAWALPINDI DISTRICT

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 August 2015

Zaeema Naveed ,
Babar Tasneem Shaikh  and
Muhammad Asif Nawaz
Zaeema Naveed
Affiliation:
Health Systems & Policy Department, Health Services Academy, Islamabad, Pakistan
Babar Tasneem Shaikh*
Affiliation:
Health Systems & Policy Department, Health Services Academy, Islamabad, Pakistan
Muhammad Asif Nawaz
Affiliation:
Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, Pakistan
*
1Corresponding author. Email: shaikh.babar@gmail.com
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Summary

Over 2 million abortions occur annually in Pakistan, mostly in a clandestine and unsafe environment. This is an area of grave concern for the reproductive health of women. A dearth of credible data and incomplete information make the problem more difficult to address. This qualitative study was conducted in semi-urban settings in Pakistan to record perceptions and practices concerning care seeking, experiences and outcomes regarding induced abortions and post-abortion care services. Women who had had induced abortions and abortion service providers were interviewed. Unwanted pregnancies and poverty were found to be the main reasons for seeking an abortion. Moreover, the unwanted pregnancies occurred due to low use of contraceptives, mainly due to a fear or past experience of their side-effects, unfamiliarity with correct usage and perceived inefficacy of the methods, especially condoms. There is an obvious need for practical and innovative interventions to address unmet need for birth spacing through improved access to contraceptives. Contraceptive providers should be provided with up-to-date and detailed training in family planning counselling, and perhaps allowed unrestricted provision of contraceptives. As a long-term measure, improvement in access to education and formal schooling could increase young girls’ and women’s knowledge of the benefits of family planning and the risks of unsafe abortion practices. Males must be involved in all the initiatives so that both partners are in agreement on correct and consistent contraceptive use.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 48 , Issue 5 , September 2016 , pp. 631 - 646
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press, 2015 

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