Table 2 Considerations in the decision-making process
Consideration | Supporting quotes |
|---|---|
Need to pursue her studies | She is too young. She needs an abortion to save her studies [JHS 13] |
Her age | This is a child. She needs to get mature enough to be able to take proper care of the child [JHS3] |
Fear related to abortions (complications; death and secondary infertility) | I know someone who also got pregnant and didn’t want to tell anyone, but later told her boyfriend and friends and was taken to Korlebu for abortion, unfortunately for her, she died the following day [Parent, M, 2] Abortion is not a good thing, and we have learnt our lessons from such experiences if because of abortion you are not able to give birth in future [Parent, M, 6] Iif she terminates it, she will die. So she has to just leave it and give birth [JHS7] She is too young. If she commits an abortion, who knows if she will be able to conceive again in the future? [JHS1] |
Partner and family responsibility | “If Johnson’s parents can take responsibility for Nadine and the baby, she has to keep the pregnancy” [JHS3] “She will have to inform the man immediately. If the man agrees that he is responsible for the pregnancy, then she can give birth; if not, that is when abortion is considered.”[Parent, F, 11] |
Financial considerations | Everything is basically about money. It is not easy to take care of a child, so only if there is money, then she should be allowed to give birth. [Teacher, M, 1] If the girl’s mother has money and is capable of taking care of the child, she can allow her to give birth so that she can take care of the child to enable her daughter to go back to school.[JHS3] Some parents are too stingy to use their money for abortion [JHS2] |
Religious considerations | “Abortion is an unacceptable sin. For me, I was unable to complete school, but I now have a human being instead”[Parent, F, 1] “The Bible is telling us that children are from God so any conception must end up in childbirth; there is no need to decide what should be done with the pregnancy.”[Parent, M, 3] “A pregnancy should end in childbirth. She must not think of abortion because anything that is done with God ends well.”[Teacher, F,3] |