I
~
I
I
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE
I
I
VARIABLES GOVERNING ABORTION CHOICE
'i~
AMONG CAUCASIAN AND BLACK WOMEN
A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction
of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts
in
EDUCATION, EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY,
COUNSELING AND GUIDANCE
by
Carolyn J. Giss and Shelley F. Singer
June, 19 77
I
!
I
L
---
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
THESIS APPROVAL ••..••••••.•.• ·- ..••••.•••••• ·-. • •
ii
AB STRA.C T • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
iii
Chapter
I
L
I
INTRODUCTION..........................
1
II
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE................
13
III
METHODOLOGY. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
30,
IV
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE DATA..
36
V
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• •
62
BIBLIOGRA.PHICAL REFERENCES • • • • • • • • • • • ••
6'9
APPENDIX . . . . . . • • . • . . . . . • • . . • • • . • . • . . . . •
73
The Thesis of Carolyn J. Giss and Shelley F. Singer is approved:
. Ezra Wyeth, PhD
Chairman
California State University, Northridge
I
I
i
I
I
I
_j
ii
lI
ABSTRACT
VARIABLES GOVERNING ABORTION CHOICE AMONG
I
I
CAUCASIAN AND BLACK WOMEN
by
Carolyn J. Giss and Shelley F. Singer
Master of Arts in Education, Educational Psychology,
Counseling and Guidance
The purpose of this study was to investigate if commonalities or
differences exist between Black and Caucasian women as to their reasons for abortion. A review of the literature revealed research that
supported and, refuted that race was an issue as to why women seek
abortions.
The subjects selected for this study were fourty..;four Black and
forty-four Caucasian women. They were all between the ages of
eighteen and thirty. They were all between eight and twelve weeks
pregnant and would be experiencing a procedure called dilation and
i
I
i
i
I
I
I
curettage. A self-made questionnaire was used to assess the common-:
alities or differences between the two groups.
I
The general hypothesis for the study was that race is an issue as\
!
related to some of the reasons that Black and Caucasian women exper- I
i
1~·.
ience abortion. An analysis of variance was used to test the hypothe- I
I
ses and supplemental data.
I
i
l
Within the framework of these hypotheses the findings of the
i'
I
~
I
I study indicate that four out of the eleven variables that were measured i
1
L_
.J
iii
11
showed a significant relationship between Black and Caucasian women
i as to the reasons for seeking an abortion.
I marital
!
I
1
These areas were education,!
status 1 number of children and method of payment.
I
I
As a result of this study we see a great need for the implementa- :
tion of an in-depth program of sex education in all schools 1 beginning
/ at the sixth grade level. Also indicated is a great need for further
I
I study in the area of abortion in order to understand why it is becoming
!I
.
! more prevalent at a time when there is an abundance of varied methods
I
!
/ of birth control.
i
I
I
I
II
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
l
iv
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
I
Since the late 1960s when several states began to significantly
I amend their abortion laws
1
abortion activities have increasingly be-
come more accepted and respectable. With this change in attitude has
1\:
come the widespread recognition that abortion counseling is an integral
1.
part of the experience.
1
I1
I
I
I
In "The Right to Abortion: A Psychiatric View .. the Group for the
.
I Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP) in 1963 stated the need for counseling
I in its study
1
" •••
as psychiatrists we would particularly emphasize the
I importance of the physician's
exploring with the pregnant women the
I basis of their motivation so as to clarify impulsive or self-destructive
elements in the decision to abort. The various medical judgments
I pertinent to abortion may 1 when warranted 1 be arrived at with the help
II
.
I of consultation. "
1
The American Public Health Association in its "Recommended
I
I Standards for Abortion Services released in November 1970 took a
11
position also emphasizing the importance of counseling. "Counseling
1
is an integral part of abortion services. The manner in which counseling is carried out plays a major role in determining whether the abor-
Ition patient is treated in a
safe
humane and dignified manner and
I
! protected against exploitation. 11 (Lader, 1973)
I
i
2
These statements Confirm the obvious need for help and advice
~
in resolving the problem of unwanted pregnancies. We believe these
I
sources to be accurate and that abortion counseling is not only
recommended, but essential.
The researchers have spent the past eleven months working as
abortion counselors at the San Vicente Hospital in Los Angeles • We
i
I
began our job with no previous - experience in this field. Our knowledgeI
was limited to the rudimentary idea of what abortion was and a strong
1
sense of belief for its existence. Our knowledge and views concern-
1
ing abortion have greatly broadened and what once seemed to be a
rather resolved issue is presently viewed as a much more complex and
!.
i
intricate problem.
As abortion counselors we have developed three basic aims in
dealing with our clients. The first is to aid the woman in making a
decision about an unwanted pregnancy. The second is to help her
implement the decision and the third aim is to assist her in controlling
her future fertility. We have hoped that the principles followed in
attaining these aims would result in a humane and understanding
relationship between us and our clients.
I
This third aim, concerning birth control, has become increasing- i
ly important to us. We would hope that our function at some point is
I
experienced as educational. Good counseling should aim at future
prevention which is very much our goal and yet we have had no way
I
'
to measure our long-term effectiveness.
It was at this point that we began to question certain functions
'
i
!
of abortion. Each week at San Vicente Hospital two hundred and fifty
j
~·
3
1 .. ' ······
if:'
I
women use this facility to obtain a therapeutic abortion. Is this ·a high!
figure?
!
It has been estimated that 1.3 to 1. 8 women were in need of
I
i
abortion services in 1974 ~ based on rates of abortion utilization observed among California residents in 1973 and New York City residents
in 1971. One-third of these women had low incomes, one-fifth had
marginal incomes and one-half had incomes above the marginal cut-off.,
-
I
The need for abortion is concentrated geographically. Three-fourths of
I
J
women needing abortions live in the nation's two hundred and fifty met-1
I
ropolitan areas 1 one-half in just ten states 1 and nearly three out of ten
women live in the twelve largest metropolitan areas. At least 945,000
i
I
1
legal abortions were performed· in the United States in 19 73, an increasJ
I
of 27% over the total reported in 1972. In 1974 the number was proI
I
I
jected to increase to 1.3 million. (Kalis and Tietze, 1973)
.
.
I
The availability of abortion services is moving rapidly to accomol
!
date the vast demand. Although California and New York provided one- I
::::::::::::l:d£::~~:~::•t~:tl:::
.::::1t::a:::r:::i::::::~l:s
it stands today 1 abortion services still remain highly concentrated
I
1
geographically, thus the availability and accessibility of abortion
I
services remain very unevenly distributed. (Hardin, 1972)
I
I
Some conclusions from this information are 1 (1) abortion is on the[
increase at a rapid rate; (2) women from all socio-economic levels are [
I
experiencing abortion; (3) most women seeking abortions live in metro- [
politan areas, rather than rural; and (4) the need for more facilities is
steadily increasing to meet the growing demand for this service.
II
i
I
1
_jL
4
We, therefore, ask the following questions: (1) Why this overwhelming growing demand ,for abortion at a time in medical history that
offers women more choices of birth control methods than ever before?
,
(2) Why, with the increasing availability of contraceptives such as the
!
pill, the IUN (Intra-Uterine Device), and the diaphragm, which are
(3)
Why, at a time when birth control information is readily available to
all women, are unwanted pregnancies still occurring? (4) Why do
I
women in cities, where many family'-planning clinics exist, experience I
relatively more abortions than rural women? (5) What are their reasons
I
I
for having these abortions?
We decided to conduct a formal study by using a questionnaire
designed to determine just why these particular women, whom we
.
.
.
I
counsel, are having abortions. Do women of different races, ages and :
socio-economic backgrounds share common reasons for choosing abor- II
tions, or do cultural differences-play a decisive role? The San Vicente!
I
Hospital facilities are used by a large cross..;..section of women. Womert
of all ages, races and income levels patronize this hospital. We
I
I
directed our study to a sample of women between the ages of 18 to 30
and the racial groups were narrowed to include only Black and Caucasian women.
i
I,
The purpose of this study was to investigate if commonalities or
differences exist between these two racial groups as to their reasons
for abortion. Are there cultural differences between Black and Caul. _ _ _ _ _ __
I
5
i
casian women that affect their reasons for abortion? Does age 1 educa-:
I tion 1 income level or marital status
contribute to the decision of abor,
tion? Most importantly 1 we wanted to discover why these women are
having an abortion.
After considering all of the variables 1 we decided to narrow our
study and direct it to the following: "What are the significant similarities and differences between Black and Caucasian women who experience abortion at San Vicente Hospital?"
In January 19 73 the Supreme Court decision on abortion now
allowed women free choice over their pregnancies. This new freedom
of choice resulted in an overnight decision for hospitals and clinics to
shift their emphasis to accomodate the growing need for abortion procedures. San Vicente Hospital is an excellent example of this phenomenon. Today this facility averages one thousand abortions per month.
This singular statistic alone states clearly the vast public support given this 1973 ruling. It also creates valuable evidence for the
need of additional safe 1 reputable and available abortion clinics to
exist in greater numbers. 2 6% of the women who enter San Vicente
Hospital are from out-of- state.
The hospital offers women total gynecological care excluding
treatment and delivery of a full term pregnancy. The main function of
the hospital is to accomodate women seeking an abortion and also to
offer help with "{)ynocologically related problems. · Follow-up care is
provided through the out-patient clinic of the hospital. Within a short
time it became apparent that there was also a need to include psychological services.
6
Women find their way to San Vicente Hospital through a variety
of services. Many are referred by their private doctors or clinics.
Others learn of it through community agencies 1 friends or they may
simply walk in off the street. Often women come from out-of-state
because their communities lack the facilities to attend to their needs.
The hospital is located in a racially and economically mixed neighborhood I bordering West Los Angeles. Women from a wide variety of
backgrounds use this facility.
The first experience a woman undergoes after being admitted to
the hospital is to be given verification of her pregnancy through a urine
test. This test is considered accurate approximately forty-two days
from the first day of her last period. If the test results are positive
they then proceed with the administering of a blood test and a chest
x-ray.
A nurse then shows the patient to her room which may contain as
many as five or six beds. She is then given a hospital cap and gown
and is instructed to change from her street clothes and to place her
belongings in a plastic bag supplied by the hosp.ital. At this point a
woman may have had her pregnancy confirmed for weeks 1 days or only
minutes. She may be fairly composed or she may be in a highly
emotional state.
It is here that we I as abortion counselors 1 first meet the patient.
We feel that this timing is terribly inappropriate and we will deal with
this issue later on in the chapter. We bring with us a limited amount
I_ of information about the
woman, which we have acquired from her
7
----·-------1
I
! hospital chart. For example, we do know her name, age 1 marital status
i
Iarid the type of procedure
1
she is going to experience.
We introduce ourselves and begin the session by filling out the
j
1
! hospital's counseling form. The form begins with ourgiving an explana-'
I
'tion of their particular procedure. During this explanation we often use
visual aids 1 such as pictures of the reproductive organs 1 a rubber model
Iof a
uterus and even samples of the instruments used in surgery.
Usual~
jly this description will help alleviate many fe.ars and anxieties that the
!
I
II woman may have acquired from false, inaccurate
or
incomplete
informa!
.
I! tlon.
.
I
I
!
:!
We then make them aware of the need for a follow-up examination !
i which
I
J
must take place within a two-week period after the abortion. We
explain the reasons for the need of this follow-up care to emphasize its
I'.
j
!
I
1
! importance. It is unsafe for any woman to resume sexual relations untill
1
I
Iher doctor makes
/
.
sure that her body is healed and has returned to
normal~
Our next step is to review the instructions for post-abortion care./
IThis involves
specific instructions as to how to care for their bodies un-1
Itil they see their doctor. It is imperative for these women to understand!
I
I·
l the
importance of following these specific instructions so they can pre-
\ vent any complications or infections from occurring.·
I
We now proceed to the topic of birth control. We explain, again
Iwith the help of visual aids the varied types of .safe contraceptives.
1
j
! We
I
then explore the pros and cons of each method 1 understanding that
I each woman's need differ. We try to help the woman make a decision
I
i
1
I
and let her know that unless she assumes the responsibility for her own
8
[
I body
it is quite likely that she may find herself with another unwanted
i
I
!;
pregnancy.
After all the above has been covered 1 we are finally allowed to
Because of the nature of this type of short-term counseling there
woman are eager to respond - i t seems the anxiety of surgery has
I
shaken them to a point that their defenses are down. It is here where
the womens' feelings and emotions are dealth with.
i
. .
I
uality 1 the abortion and contraceptives. We may explore related
l
Many women reveal their most personal concerns to us about sex-:
i
I
9
-------------------------------~
I
i
i
i problems
i
concerning husband 1 lover 1 family or self. Each session is
i
i unique as to the individual women and yet they all share a commonality
ii of concern. Anxiety and fear about the operative procedure
i and doubt over making the right choice, religious conflicts,
1
confusion
anger to-
i
I wards
self and others and often guilt. The details of the stories vary 1
I
'
r
I
1
i
I
I
I but many fears, questions and feelings are universally shared. We hav,
II become aware of the insignificant place that race plays in our role as I
1
j
counselors. It is not important that we are Caucasian women often
I
l counseling Black women.
i
1
j
I
What is important is that we are all women
i
sharing a crisis.
iI
J
1
As the session evolves 1 providing that the time exists for it to
l!
/I proceed 1 we try very hard to be there for the woman in any capacity
/
I
1
~ that will best facilitate her needs. Unfortunately, the way the program !
.
1
.
I is
set up we are rarely able to fulfill our goals. After eleven months of !
I
· h t h e eXIsting
· ·
iI work'1ng w1t
counse 1·1ng program we
see great nee d f or
!1
\' change and re-evaluation.
1
I
I
1
It would be much more worthwhile to institute a counseling progI
.
ram which would require the woman to see a counselor on a day prior to
J
I
I
I that of her abortion.
,
We would then have the time to establish rapport
I and to better ascertain the patients' needs. We could then have the
I much needed time to deal with the patient without any of the time
!
/ pressures that now exist.
I
We could present all the same information as we do now 1 but
l without the anxiety that surgery is only minutes away.
1
We could eval-
uate the women's position and explore possible alternative measures.
1
I
10
I
This would allow the women the luxury of necessary time to digest and i
I
mull over this new information in the privacy of their own
I
surroundings~
I
This new knowledge will allow them choices they perhaps did not knowi
existed.
There are three different abortion procedures performed at San
Vicente HospitaL The operation performed depends upon the length of
pregnancy. Patients under thirteen weeks from their last menstrual
I
cycle receive a D & C (Dilation and Curettage). These are the women
we most often see. Those who are over thirteen weeks of pregnancy
receive a saline infusion which stimulates natural labor and results
in the expulsion of the fetus. There are other counselors who work
exclusively with saline patients.
In spite of our concern and the abovementioned recommendations
we still see our existing role as counselors valuable. We know our
position as counselors is indespensible and yet recognize the need for
growth within the clinic.
Both authors feel that the results of our study could have merit
for many women as an educational tool for preventing future pregnan.
cies and abortions for unwan:ted pregnancies, and to more fully under-
I
i
I
I
j
stand how it occurred. We have both shared Uterally hundreds of hour,
counseling Black and Caucasian women who have found themselves facf
ing abortion. From our accumulation of knowledge from this joint
/
experience, we feel our study will indicate a need for more education
I
in the areas of birth control information with an emphasis on correct
l
usage and an all-over emphasis on the accessibility of accurate
11
·---·------- - - - -
------1
I
information in the areas of sex, pregnancy, birth control and abortion.
These studies along with our personal experiences led us to
hypothesize the following:
1. There is no significant difference between Black
and Caucasian women who seek abortion with
regard to age.
2. There is a significant difference between Black
and Caucasian women who seek abortion with
regard to religion.
3. There is a significant difference between Black
and Caucasian women who seek abortion with
regard to education.
4. There is a significant difference between Black
and Caucasian women who seek abortion with
regard to marital status.
5. There is a significant difference between Black
and Caucasian women who seek abortion with
regard to the number of children they have.
6. There is no significant difference between Black
and Caucasian women who seek abortion with
regard to previous abortions.
7. There is a significant difference between Black
and Caucasian women who seek abortion with
regard to method of payment.
I~~---
12
8. There is no significant difference between Black
and Caucasian women who seek abortion with
regard to use of birth control.
9. There is no significant difference. between Black
and Caucasian women who seek abortion with
regard to source of sex education.
10. There is no significant difference between Black
and Caucasian women who seek abortion with
regard to area of sex education.
11. There is no significant difference between Black
and Caucasian women who seek abortion with
regard to prevention of abortion through sex
education.
I
l
I
CHAPTER II
I
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
I
II
·I
One of the most controversial issues of our time has been the
subject of abortion. The question of a woman's fundamental right to
choose whether or not and when to have children has caused tremend-
I ous reaction in America,
as well as other countries in the world.
Throughout the years anti-abortionists have used myths to in-
I fluence
legislators and also to scare and harass women with unwanted I
I
I
I pregnancies. Tales that abortion violates some age-old and God..;.given
I
I
I
I
of misconceptions .I
natural laws are commonly heard. One clear look at the history of
abortion shows these statements to b~ false and full
I
I
Until one hundred years ago almost no one, not even the Catho-
1
lie Church, punished those receiving abortions in the early stages of
pregnancy. According to Laurence Lader (1973)
11
•••
the Greek City-
I
I
I
States and ancient Rome, the foundations of Western civili2:a.t:ion, made I
I
abortion the basis of a well-ordered population policy."
For centuries abortion in the early stages of pregnancy was wide-j
ly
tolerated. In many societies in Europe and later in America it was
,...
~··
used as one of the only dependable methods of fertility control.
I
English and American common law, dating back to the 13th. Century,
'
!
:
shows a fairly tolerant acceptance of abortion up until the
11
!
quickeningnj
t
the motion felt sometime in the fifth month when the woman first feels
the fetus move.
(Guttmacher, 1974)
13
14
~st
of the laws making abortion a crime were not passed until
the 19th. century. In 1869 Pope Pius IX declared that all abortion was
II
murder. By the 1860s in America, new legislation outlawed all abortions except those deemed necessary to save the life of the woman.
(Lader, 1973)
There were several good reasons that led to the decision of treat-
I ing abortions as a
I that
crime • The first issue was highly legitimate, stating
I
I
abortion was a dangerous surgery with a very high mortality rate.
I
Historians relate the action taken against abortion at this particular
'
.
time and equate it to the mid-nineteenth century wave of humanitarian-
ism. Upholding abortion as a crime was done in the name of protecting
the lives of innocent women. Secondly, it was during this time that
I
the medical care of women passed from the hands of midwives into the
/
I realm of male doctors.
Many doctors were not willing, as the midwives
Ihad been, to accomodate their patients by performing an abortion.
j
.
Thirdly, there was a new biological understanding of pregnancy which
/ made it clear that the fetus is alive before its movements can be felt.
II
I Thus,
1
!
I
l
I
I
the notion that an abortion before
11
11
quickening was acceptable
suddenly was no longer sound and the first few months of pregnancy
took on a whole new meaning. Fourthly, at this time in history manpower was a very valuable commodity. The world needed more people
I and anti-abortion laws were certainly a way of encouraging population
i growth. (Lader, 1967)
I
I
I
Obviously, these 19th. Century abortion laws did not succeed
I in eliminating abortion.
History has Proven that women will seek
~-
I
i
15
abortion whether it is legal or not. These new laws only caused increasing numbers of women to obtain abortions illegally. This then
led countless women into the hands of skilled physicians 1 as well as
11
backroom butchers ... It was this situation that began to draw public
interest back to the issue of abortion. Re-evaluation of the abortion
laws became a matter of public concern.
In the middle 19 60s many angry and concerned women and men of
all races began to organize for the purpose of changing the existing
abortion laws. They were deeply angered by the deplorable conditions
many women were forced to endure as a result of experiencing an illegal abortion.
The practices of illegal abortion were common knowledge and yet
continued to horrify anyone who came close to it. There were illegal
profits to backstreet abortionists who charged high prices for nonmedical procedures performed under unsanitary conditions. There was
discrimination against poor women who had to risk less orthodox
i
I
meth-~
ads while the wealthier women could often find and pay a cooperative
doctor. Also 1 those unable to end their unwanted pregnancies too often
1
found their lives destroyed by the hardship involved in raising an un-
1
1
wanted child.
Abortion saw its first success with the liberalization of laws in
Colorado and California. These reformed laws allowed women to apply
for abortions in certain specific instances 1 but left the ultimate decision up to doctors and hospitals.
1
I
I
These first attempts to liberalize abortion resulted in uninten-
~las_s__gross discrimination. In 1969, 75% of the
I
'
16
New legislation became mandatory when it became evident that
very few women were benefitting from these first new reforms.
Although the initial intent was good, medical red tape, high costs and
the non-acceptance of society toward abortion were all issues that
'
needed to be re-evaluated before going ahead with new le\jislat!on.
.I
In 1970 New York State passed a landmark abortion statute which:
I
I
i
subsequently had tremendous impact on our society. This statute now i·
legalized abortion up through twenty-four weeks of pregnancy if the
I
procedure was done by a doctor in a medical facility. By 19 72 Alaska,!
.
I
l
Hawaii and the State of Washington had also passed statutes allowing
abortion on request.
From 1970 through 1972 ·women from all over the country traveled I
to the few places where legal abortion could be obtained. In New York!
i
City alone, 223,000 abortions were reported in the year 1972. Accord~
.·
I
ing to data from the New York City Health Department,
"61.8% of these!I
.
I
women were from out-of-state ... (David and Tietze, 1974) This singu-ilar statistic made evident the absolute necessity for other states to
consider abortion reform.
1
Statistics compiled in the years 1970 through 1972 in New York
I'
were presented by Doctors Joy and Howard Osofsky. In their report,
I
"The Psychological Reaction of Patients to Legalized Abortion," their · !
findings showed that voluntary legal abortion improves a woman's
I
I
~--------~------~------------------------_j
17
physical and psychological health.
The Joint Program for the Study of Abortion and New York City
Department of Health statistics show that during the first four years
of New York's new law the infant mortality rate dropped; abortion-
j
associated deaths dropped; hospital admissions, for incomplete (illegal)
I
abortions dropped; mortality and complication rates of legal abortions
/
.
I
I
dropped steadily; and the mortality rate for early abortion was well be-\
low that for full-term pregnancy and delivery.
I
Studies on the psychological effects of legal abortion consistent!.
ly showed that women were feeling more happy than sad and more
relieved than depressed after experiencing a voluntary legal abortion.
i
I
I!
(Mace, 1972) The time was certainly approaching for some drastic new\
Finally, in January, 19 73, the United States Supreme Court made
I
1
!
18
i
i(Blake,
:
i
i
1973)
l
This Supreme Court decision was the first step toward securing thel
lrtght to safe and decent abortion care for all women. Although this was
I
Iia
.
monumental decision it is important..to note that
. there still remains a
jgreat deal of work to be done to preserve what already has been accomp-.1
IIi shed.
I
I
There is a strong and heavily financed anti -abortion movement
!which threatens to undo the legal progress that has already been made.
I
!
[These groups are known by such names as Birthright, the National Right
i
!to Life Committee, Life Lobby and many others. The basic
11
Right to
I
!Life" argument is that the fetus is a person from the moment of concepl
I
ition, and, as such, has a right to be protected from "murder." These
!
I
[groups want to see the Supreme Court decision reversed so that no womarl
!
I
.
I
I
Iunder
any circumstances, even if her. life is endangered, can obtain an
I
1
i
labortion. (Boston Women!s Health Book Collective, 1975)
i
1
On the federal level, Right to Life forces have pushed increasingly!
I
I
.
lfor constitutional amendments which would overturn the Supreme Court
[
I
i
.·
!decision. They have also fought for limitations on funding bills which
!
\would prohibit use of federal funds for abortion services or payment.
I
I
IThe amendments which would make all abortion illegal have been de-
I
lfeated, but we cannot afford to be complacent! Legislators are getting
'
I
I
itired of the entire issue, and there is considerable support among con-
!servatives and moderates alike for constitutional amendments which
I
!would return the abortion
I
\
q~estion to the
states.
In spite of the anti-abortion groups we are now witnessing the
l ______________________________________________~
.
•
0
'
19
--------------------------------------------,
growth of a pro-abortion climate. Only a few years ago psychiatric
evaluations and recommendations were questioned. Now the failure
to recommend abortion is questioned. This new climate is partly influenced by recent evidence about a woman's better apparent adjustment to an abortion than to bearing an unwanted child and by the
increased emphasis upon a woman's right to make her own decision
about reproduction. Abortion involves the ultimate control by woman
over her own procreativity.
Today women have the right to decide whether or not to tennin-
.
i
.
I
ate a pregnancy. According to Sloane and Horvitz (19 73) the number of!
i
abortions is increasing annually and they fear that abortion may become
I:
abused and misused. They, too; pose the question of why, with the
availability of modern birth control methods, the number of abortions
is growing each year.
At this time the researchers find it necessary to state the difficulties we encountered while researching for related information con-
1
cerning our topic. There was an extremely limited amount of informa- I
tion stating the reasons as to why women have abortions. Relatively
I
I
.
'
few studies explored the variables involved in abortion, such as age,
religion, marital status, education, number of children, previous abortions and sex education.
I
After researching at Oviatt Library (CSVN), Bio-Medical Library
(UCLA) and Powell Library (UCLA) plus several branches of Public
I
Libraries using their name resources, including the Psychological
l
Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Indicus Medicus, Mental Measure- i
I
1
l_m_ent Yearbooks and a multitude of Texts and Iournals, the following
20
material is all that was available.
Within the United States the influence of social class
I
I
and racial;
II
background upon various responses to an.unwanted pregnancy has
aroused a great deal of controversy~ Many national and regional
studies carried out in the last twenty years indicate that the poor,
Blacks, and the less educated want about the same number of children as most other people. Blacks, in particular, want as few or even
II
fewer children than Caucasians. (Hill and Jaffe, 1968) Despite the
desire for relatively small families within this group, the studies also I
.
.
I
I
established that they end up having larger families than they desire.
The largest excess in fertility is to be found among the poor,
non-Wnites 1 and the less
educated~
Why do these groups have a
greater proportion of undesired children? In comparing Blacks to
Caucasians 1 Black women on the average engage in sexual relations
·
earlier than Caucasian women and have their first child at a younger
I
age than Caucasian women. The earlier birth of the first child for the i
I
Black women can have an important bearing upon her educational or
occupational plans. The responsibilities of caring for the first child
I
i
can effectively interfere with work and school plans and thus depress
i
t
I
I
a woman's life chances. (Sarvis, 1974)
Investigators such as Leonard Campbell (1968) suggest that
I
" ••• using maternity wards as major locations for providing contraceptive information is certainly after the fact. It is more important
to delay a Black woman'$ first child than to prevent her second. It
i
appears that once this woman has experienced the birth of her first
i
I
~------------~------~~-----------J
21
r---------··--·--·---------------------·---------·---,
child the percentages are quite high that she will bear another child
within a two to three year period. She thus resigns her lifestyle to
the role of m.other and excludes other possible alternatives."·
are actually using contraceptives. They also report a much higher
casians. Although they found little difference by educational level
on the desire for children, those who did not complete high school
using them, a consistently higher rate of failure.
Some studies do not go beyond pointing out the different
pat~
terns of contraceptive use, and effectiveness, but others have tried
to explain the differences. The most convincing explanations have
pointed out that the higher fertility groups have les :f knowledge of.
and less access to contraceptives. Once women make contact with
a family planning clinic they tend to become effective contraceptive
users. Several studies dealing with the experience of Black women
who have received contraceptives at clinics report high percentages
of women who use them successfully. Phyllis
Champiori~:S
(1967)
study led her to take a positive view of the potential for successful
contraceptive use by low-income Black women.
Her sample of these
i
L-----------~-------------------------------__j
22
----------------------------------------------,
1
Black women
11
•••
showed no less perseverance, no weaker motivationi
or no more evidence of 'improvidence' than Planner Parenthood has
I
I
I.
encountered elsewhere with its Caucasian patients from middle-class
and suburban areas. 11
It is implied that all points of choice the Caucasian woman
I
usually has more alternatives in the area of abortion than the Black
I
I
woman. The Caucasian woman has greater access to contraception,
I
I
I
abortion and forced marriage and adoption. Some evidence suggests
that Blacks prefer illegitimate childbirth to abortion (Rodman, 19 72)
I
Ii
I
!
but this evidence has too often been extended to mean that lower
income Black women
11
•••
!
I
are accepting and philosophical about bear- [
ing out-of-wedlock babies because welfare provides a simple and
practical economic solution.,. Ryan's study strongly disagrees with
Rodman's theory. He states that " ••• only a minority of unmarried
mothers depend on welfare," and •• ••• to suggest that anyone, or at
least more than a handful of disturbed persons would choose the bitter existence of welfare as a way of life except as a last resort, is
to demonstrate ignorance on the basic nature of humanity. 11
The authors have observed that the lower income Black woman
has had fewer alternatives to an unwanted pregnancy and has
stretched her values in order to grant greater acceptability to
behavior patterns such as illegitimacy, etc., to which she is often
led by force of circumstances.
In contrast, the Caucasian woman is able to maintain a highly
negative attitude toward illegitimacy because she has had more
!
23
---------
opportunity to rely on abortion and/or adoption.
1
(Rodman, 1970)
If we use excess fertility as a criterion, then the lower-income
I Blacks are possibly the
J
i
largest potential users of abortion. The per-
I
I
centage of Black women obtaining abortions today is exceeding that of
i
Caucasians, but back in the 1950s and 1960s the evidence showed that!
I
Black women did not have equal access to abortion facilities and also
did not have the money or connections than did the middle-class Caucasian women. (Sklar and Berkov, 1971)
Another interesting study by Gebhard (1966} provides information
I
on the incidence of abortion by race and social class. They found that I
I
the percentage of pregnancies that terminate in abortion is generally
I
1
higher among women at the higher educational levels, and this is
i
I
especially the case among unmarried women, Black and Caucasian.
1
I
II
1
I
!
.·
j
I
{Gebhard, 1966} Among the married the differences between education-;
al levels are much smaller; in fact, the Caucasian group• s percentage
j
of pregnancies that end in an induced abortion are somewhat higher at
the lowest educational level. (Gebhard, 1966) In a comparison of
II.
'
Blacks and Caucasians, both for premarital and marital conceptions,
it is found that Caucasians have higher percentages ending in induced
abortions at the lower educational levels, while at the higher educa-
~
tiona! levels there is little or no differences between Blacks and
Caucasians. This study 1 based on data derived from interviews with
I
women,· confirms the findings of other studies reporting statistics
I
derived from hospital records. The data points to the greater reliance
upon abortion on the part of Caucasians over Blacks 1 and on the part
!i
24
---------------------1
I
of the more affluent or more educated over the less affluent and less
!
I
!
I
educated. (Nazer, 1972)
Since most of the research cited here on racial comparisons
was done prior to the 19 73 Supreme Court decision legalized abortion
facts today may be significantly different.. Clinics, Medi-Cal, etc.
have all affected the dated profile of the average candidate for abortion.
I
I
I
I
I
A study conducted by Charles Westoff (1969) showed that Blacks I
I
generally held less favorable attitudes toward abortions than Caucas- '
ians 1 but these data also leave many unanswered questions. The
study conducted a national survey of 5 1 600 married women, interviewed
in 1968, who were asked whether or not they thought it would be all
right for a woman to have a pregnancy
"interru~ted"
.
under six different
l
!
I
j
circumstances. These were: danger to the woman's health; rape; fetal!
deformity; woman unmarried; couple could not afford more children; and
I
1
I
couple did not want any more children. The greatest difference between
.
I
Black and Caucasian women appeared with those who approve of abor-
j
tions when the woman's health was endangered but rejected all other
I
reasons. 21% of the Whites and 34% of the Blacks fell into this category. The second greatest difference was observed of those who
accepted only danger to the woman's health 1 rape and fetal deformity. ;
2 7% of the Whites and 17% of the Blacks feU into this group. The
I
differences were much less in the other cases.
•
In the 1972 survey done for the Commission on Population Growthi
I
and the American Future, Lipson and Wolman (1972) the greatest dif-
I
I
25
ference between the Black and Caucasian attitudes appeared in res-
l
ponse to the question: "Are there circumstances other than preserving
the mother•s life under which you think abortion should be legal?"
Among Caucasians 62% replied "yes" in contrast to the 43% of the
Blacks. Similar differences occurred on the question: "Do you think
that the decision to have an abortion in the early months of pregnancy
should be mad_e by the couple and their doctor, or do you think that
such abortions should be permitted only under certain circumstances? ..
51% of the Caucasian women compared to 33% of the Blacks thought
the decision should be made by the couple and their doctor. But the
differences began to shrink on the question:
11
Do you think abortions
should or should not be permitted where the parents already have all
the children they want? u Among Caucasians 50% thought it should be
permitted. Among Blacks 1 44% thought it shoula be permitted. The
differences disappeared on the question: ·"Do you think the government should or should not help make abortion available to all women
who want it?" The Caucasian women answered 66% in favor and the
Black women supported available abortion by 6 7% •
If one takes the above evidence as demonstrating that Black
attitudes are generally less favorable toward abortion than Caucasian
attitudes 1 several explanations can be offered for the differences.
One explanation would be the large proportion of Blacks at the lower
I
educational level; since those with less education are more negative. i
Ii
Blacks would, therefore, be more negative. Another possible explana- i
I
tion is that proportionately more Blacks than Caucasians have a South- i
I
26
ern background and belorig to a fundamentalist Protestant religion andl
I
these characteristics are associated with less favorable attitudes toward
abortion.
(Blake, 19 71; Ryder and Westcott, 1971)
practitioners. This has probably contributed to knowledge about the
dangers of abortion and influenced attitudes negatively. From her work
1
with illegimately pregnant Black girls, Prudence Rains (1971) found that I
I " .... whenever abortion was mentioned spontaneously or in answer to a
I question of mine, girls spoke only in terms of self-~nduced abortions
I and the dangers involved. "
I
What actually happened when access to legal, safe abortion be-
I
came available to Black women: The changes that occurred in California!
between 1968 and 1972 under the liberally interpretated reform law
were dramatic. Blacks accounted for about 9% of all live births in
California. In 1968, during the first year of the reform law, they
I accounted for 7. 2% of all abortions. This percentage rose to 9. 5% in
1969; 11.8% in 1970 and 14 .. 9% in 1971. Sklar and Berkov (1973)
reported the following abortion ratios for residents of California in
1
1968-69 (legal abortions per 1000 live births): 22% for Caucasians and
21.9 for Blacks; in 19 69-70, 89.3 for Caucasians and 112 .. 3 for
Blacks; in 1970-71, 231.8 for Caucasians and 424.8 for Blacks; in
1971-72, 322 .. 1 for Caucasians and 647.0 for Blacks .. The Black abor-
27
----------------,
tion ratio was just below the Caucasian ratio in 19 68 and it rose to just:
j
above the Caucasian ratio in 1972.
I
ences ::::: ::~:~:::r:~ tf~~;::u::~i::~~~::::u;;ff~:::::::::::
between the prevalence in one race as to another due to the difference
I
j
I
I
in cultural background and accepted moral conduct, contraceptive
I practice, education, etc?
I
Almost all abortion surveys to date analyze various rates and
j
\ ratios according to a single variable. We did not find many definitive
I answers
I
as to race, but perhaps a look at incidences analyzed by
·
I
socio~I
I demographic variables will help to ask the right questions regarding
1
) overall incidence.
Residence is aconsistent predictor of prevalence and incidence;
I
I urban residents almost invariably have higher rates and ratios than
I rural.
I
1
Before liberalization in the United States, Blacks had amuch
lower legal incidence of abortion than did Caucasians, a situation
which has been dramatically reversed in the last few years, illustrating
I
j
both discrimination against minorities during a time of strongly limited
access, and continuing differential use of contraception after that discrimination: has been reduced or eliminated.
,
Upper-class, upper-income and better-educated women may have
Imore liberal views,
II
i situation
but less need for abortion. On the other hand, in a
of limited access to contraception, upper-class women may be
I
!
I the first to control their fertility aggressively with abortion than lower
L-----------------------------------~
28
The researcher who wishes to measure or estimate any aspect of
of women. Rates and ratios are higher among urban than rural women,
I
I
and among women who are employed outside the home than among housej
wives. Race is not a consistent predictor of incidence, but ethnicity
Ij
generally is. Abortion incidence is often correlated positively with the
number of prior pregnancies and the number of living childreno Women
with prior abortions are more likely to undertake a future abortion.
Religion, law, and public opinion are all partial indicators of the
I
IIj
acceptability of induced abortion. Perhaps the most important indicator i
is the actual behavior of women who seek and obtain or do not obtain
abortions.
II
I
I
Catholic women in countries with diverse populations such as the l
United States do not seem to have incidence lower than that or other
I
religious groups in the same country.
I
j
The question of why women desire abortion must not be confused
with the issue of why they become pregnant, just as motivations for
I
I,
29
----r
!
Ii are seeking to better explore and understand the reasons behind the
1
i
I choice. What are the contributing factors that affect a woman's decis1
ion to have an abortion and is there a commonality or pattern that many
J
women share in making this decision?
I
;
I
I
I
i
I
II
I
I
I
I
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
In this chapter we will discuss: (1) The nature of the questionnaire; (2) the method of preparation for testing; (3) the method for obtaining a sample; (4) the instrumentation and test administration; and
(5) the treatment of data and scoring procedures.
We received permission to administer our questionnaire from the
j
Chief-of-Staff at San Vicente Hospital. To accomplish this it was
1
I
I necessary to: discuss our original proposal; make plans for the collec-i
.
I
tion of data and to decide upon selection of subjects fitting the purposJ
I
of the study.
!
To select individuals for our sample group we sent to San Vicente!
.
.
Hospital in Los Angeles 1 California. It is located in a fringe area 1
just east of West Los Angeles. We were quite familiar with this
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
facility since we have been working here as abortion counselors for thei
past eleven months.
Our questionnaire was designed to meet only two essential cri-
1
teria: (1) first, the women were to be bet~een the ages of 18-30 years]
and (2) there had to be an equal number of Black and Caucasian women.l
Their ages ranged from 18-30 years. They were all between 8 and 12
weeks pregnant and thus would experience the same operative procedure, a dilation and curretage.
30
1
31
In order to obtain the necessary information from the sample
group of women at San Vicente Hospital we explored different methods
of instrumentation. After careful consideration we decided to design a
questionnaire which would allow us the most latitude in acquiring the
information we desired. The use of the questionnaire seemed most
suited for our particular goals because: (1) it could be administered
with minimal explanation; {2) it could be completed within a short period of time; (3) it was a convenient way of acquiring descriptive data;
(4) it required less sophistication than many other methods and (5) we
desired to gather factual information. (Best, 1970)
All of the questionnaires were administered personally by the two 1
.
of us. They were given to women at San Vicente Hospital between the
I
j
months of January and March of 1977. The women were asked to com- i
I
plete these questionnaires at the end of the counseling session. This !
I
proved to be an excellent time to elicit honest and valuable information!
from these women because we had already established a positive and
I
caring rapport and their feelings of pre-operative anxiety made them
Ii
more vulnerable and 1 therefore, more open and less defensive.
I
We limited the length of the questionnaire to fourteen questions.
Although it was tempting to include more questions it was decided that
this was inappropriate because
a more lengthy questionnaire would
.
I
i
I
1
!
I
I
require more time than might be available 1 and it seemed inappropriate [
to make it any more tedious than absolutely necessary during the ,
anxious period prior to surgery.
Through our joint experience in counseling hundreds of women
!
I
32
over the past eleven months we recognized the necessity that the
I!
questionnaire be a brief, simple, unsophisticated group of questions.
It was evident that the bulk of the questions needed to be of the closed!
form type. The closed form questionnaire appeared appropriate becausJ
it is easy to fill out, takes little time, keeps the respondent on the
I
subject, is relatively objective, and is fairly easy to tabulate and
analyze. (Best, 1970)
In order to obtain all the desired information we found it neces1
sary to also include the open-form or unrestricted type of items. Both I
the open and closed type items have their merits and limitations, as ws
Ij
were to find out in translating our data.
Because the open-form question provides to greater depth of res-~
ponse it became important for us to include two of these. They are
1
numbers ten and fourteen on the questionnaire. These types of questions require greater effort on the part of the respondent. Therefore,
I
1
1
we did encounter a few problems with them. Some women were reluctant to spend the time going into depth on the open-form questions.
This, fortunately, did not present us with a problem because of the
luxury provided us by our one-to-one contact between_ patient and
counselor. We were able to guide them and to assist in ways that enabled tis to obtain detailed information.
The statistical analysis was accomplished by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 6. 02.
I
i
I
"Frequencies Progra.IJ1 111
-
I
'
was run on the total sample of Black and Caucasian sub-groups. The [
a:rosstabs program utilizing the Chi-Square Test for Statistical Signifi-
!
1
j
33
.-~----------------------------·----------
cance was applied with race being the independent variable and the
i
i
following were dependent variables: age, religion, education, marital/
I
status, number of children, previous abortions, method of payment,
I
prior knowledge of birth control, pregnancy, sex and abortion informa-l
tion and possible prevention of abortion through more in-depth educa-
!
ti~.
I
I
.
The Chi-Square Statistic compares the set of frequencies actual-i
ly observed and frequencies that would be obtained only by chance.
I
The 0.05 level of significance was set for the study.
I
We assumed the questionnaires would actually tap the variables
We also assumed a high degree of honesty would prevail due to the
j
I
I
i
existing emotional climate immediately prior to surgery. At this time
most women are highly vulnerable and tend to drop all defenses and
I
I
I
There were three main limitations to our study. The first limita- i
I
tion involved the format of the questionnaire. Question one asked
this generally results in a high degree of candor.
·
1
.
I
that a woman fill in her name. Some women found this threatening and!
were thus reluctant to continue. Their need to remain
anonymous~'was
!
valid and fortunately we were there to assure them that a name was noti
at all necessary if they did not wish to comply. Question three,
pertaining to religion, was too vague and would possibly have been
I
I
I
!I
more effective if
religiou~
categories had been made available. Ques-
tion four 1 asking for years of schooling, should have included the
number of years of college education and a separate category/for college graduates. Question five 1 asking for marital status, was defini-
L~~-----------------------------------~
34
tely not a success. It was our most unclear entry and allowed for
inaccurate and inadequate responses. The categories would have
been much more effective if there had been more choices. For example, single women should have included all women who are not
married and also women who are divorced. It would have been prefer- I
;.bJe, to list options as never married, married now, divorced and how
I
many times. Question eight, requesting the patients' yearly income,
as welfare or supported by parents or other. Also, including the
I
I
womens' occupation might have been a valuable addition. Question
Ij
nine, referring to how payment of abortion was being made, would
i
was incomplete because it did not include alternative choices, such
I
have been more complete had it included choices of cash, loan, insur-l
I
ance and Medi-Cal. Question thirteen, pertaining to information about
sex, pregnancy, birth control and abortion was too vague and needed I
!
expansion. Making it into four separate questions could have made it I
more clear and thus more valid.
Questions numbers ten and fourteen were our only open-ended
I
I
I
i
questions and could have been limiting had it not been for our
personaliI
.
supervision while administering each questionnaire. Without our
individualized attention these questions possibly could have been less
inclusive. Fortunately they turned out to be the most interesting and
also among the most revealing.
The second main limitation of this study involved the size of the
sample. Due to a time limit imposed by the hospital we were working
under a time factor that eventually limited us to a study composed of
I
35
--------,
I
88 women. We feel that our results are significant although a larger
sample might have led us to more convincing conclusions.
A. possible third limitation involved the absence of a question
pertaining to residence. The is sue of rural vs. urban living could
have provided us with an added dimension and possibly might have
given additional information to our sample.
Now that we have evaluated the limitations of the study and
presented them in the preceding par?Igraphs we feel it necessary to
make a statement on the merits of what we have accomplished. Much
of what we have obtained from our study is valuable information and
some of our results, to our knowledge, have never before been measured. We intend to make these results evident to the reader in the
following chapters.
!
!
l
CHAPTER N
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE DATA
The purpose of this chapter was to present the data and its analysis of the results of the study.
In each instance the level of confidence necessary to reject the
1
null hypothesis was set at the 0. 05 level. Each hypothesis was treat-!
ed independently. The statistical computations were made according
I
I
to the Chi-Square Test for Statistical Significance.
44 ::::::l~:z~:gt::ee:::::::~t::t:1 ~n:r:::df~:l:::l,es 1through I
(*)
Hypothesis 1
The null hypothesis stated that there would be no significant
I
1
difference involving age as related to why Black and Caucasian women!
seek abortions. The statistical data illustrated in Table 4 showed the
1
results of the Chi-Square Test of Significance to be at 0.1340 which
1
reveals no significant relationship between age and race and, there-
1
fore, the null hypothesis was sustained.
1
HVPothesis 2
I
.
The research hypothesis stated that there would be a significant I
I
difference involving religion as related. to why Black and Gaucasian
women seek abortions. The statistical data in Table 8 showed the
(*) Because of the difficulty in reproducing the tables, they appear
together on pages 40-61.
37
1
results of the Chi-Square Test of Significance to be at 0.1806, which
I
! reveals that regardless of race, religion is not a significant variable.
I
I
.
Therefore 1 the research hypothesis was sustained, and the null hypothesis was rejected.
I Hypoth~s·i~. 3
I
The research hypothesis stated that there would be a significant
I difference
I women
involving education as related to why Black and Caucasian
seek abortions. The statistical data illustrated in Table 12
I
I showed the results of the Chi-Square Test of Significance to be at
1
J
0. 0107 1 which reverals a significant relationship between education
an~
/ race and·, therefore, the research hypothesis was sustained and the null!
I .
.
j hypothesis was rejected.
I Hypothesis 4
1
j
The research hypothesis stated that there would be a significant
difference involving marital status as related to why Black and Caucas-1
I
I ian women seek abortions. The statistical data illustrated in Table 16 ~I
j
I'
J
show the results of the Chi-Square Test of Significance to be at 0.0000,
.
I
which ~eveals a very significant relationship between marital status andJ
I
race and 1 therefore, the research h~othesis was sustained and the null'
hypothesis was rejected.
Hypothesis 5
The research hypothesis stated that there would be a significant
difference involving the number of children a woman has had as related
-~·
I
to why Black and Caucasian women seek abortions. The statistical dataI
in Table 20 show the results of the Chi-Square Test of Significance to
i
1
I
38
I
be at 0. 0000 1 which reveals a very significant relationship between the
i
I
!
I
I
number of children and race and 1 therefore 1 the research hypothesis was!
I sustained and the null hypothesis was rejected.
I
I Hypothesis 6
I
The null hypothesis stated that there would be no significant
i
I difference involving previous abortions
1
.,
as related to why Black and Cau-,
casian women seek abortions. The statistical data illustrated in Table
124
show the results of the Chi-Square Test of Significance to be at
I 0. 2007 which reveals no significant difference between previous abor1
1
I tions
~
and. race I and I therefore 1 the null hypothesis was sustained.
Hypothesis 7
.
/
The research hypothesis stated there would be a significant dif-
1
ference involving method of payment as related to why Black and Cau-
l casian women
seek abortions. The statistical data shown in Table 28
I show the result of the Chi -Square Test of Significance to be at 0 • 0 000 ,
I which reveals a very significant relationship between race and method
I of payment and therefore, the research hypothesis was sustained and
1
the null hypothesis was rejected.
Hypothesis 8
The null hypothesis stated that there would be no significant difference involving use of birth control as related to why Black and Caucasian women seek abortions. The statistical data illustrated in Table
1
39
Hypothesis 9
I
The null hypothesis stated that there would be no significant dif- !
ference involving source of sex education as related to why Black and
I
Caucasian women seek abortion. The statistical data illustrated in
Table 36 show the results of the Chi-Square Test of Significance to be
at 0.4419 1 which reveals no significant relationship between race and
sex education and 1 therefore 1 the null hypothesis was sustained.
I
I
Hypothesis 10
The null hypothesis stated that there would be no significant dif-1
ference involving area of sex education as related to why Black and
I
Caucasian women seek abortions. The statistical data illustrated in
Table 40 show the results of the Chi-Square Test of Significance to be
1
at 0. 7851 1 which reveals no significant relationship between race and
I
I
I
area of sex education and 1 therefore 1 the null hypothesis was sustainedJ
I Hypothesis
I
I
11
The null hypothesis stated that there would be no significant dif-
I
I
I ference involving prevention of abortion through a more complete sex
I education as related to why Black and Caucasian women seek abortion.
J
The statistical data illustrated in Table 44 show the results of the Chi-
J
Square Test of Significance to be at 0.5185 1 which reveals no signific-
1
ant relationShip between race and prevention of abortion through sex
I education and therefore the null hypothesis was sustained.
I
I
1
1
.
L_______ _ _ _ _
----··1
TABLE 1
FILE • NONAME
04/16/77
AGE
• CRfATEO 04/1&/77
PAGE
I
6
AGE
I
1· ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• (
I_a_.._Z_Lt__VRS
l
I
.
. .
.
.
z•.•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
(
48)
4~)
___________ I·- 2 5·30 YR S _·
I
I•••••••••l•••••••••l•••••••••l•••••••••I•••••••••I
D
FREQUENCY
10
i MEAN
1.455 ····
L_S_lOOE~
0.501·
VALID CASES
86
20
30
':r-·~EOIAN
40
\:r·
50
1,;000
VARIA~CE
HISSING CASES
0
TABLE 2
FILE •
Olt/20/77
.1.
NONA HE
-
CREAT~D
1· I··········~··················
18•24 YRS
I
0~/20177
PAGE
&
26)
2.
HEAN
STD DE IJ
1. 0 OQ
.J::>,
0
TABLE 3
FILE • NONAHE
0412U77
-
CREAT~O
04/20177
PAGE
32
'. AG~CODE·
r
1. ~+~•·················
I
18• 24 YI<S
I
(
20)
I
2. ···~~··~····~•+••~·····'~
I
2~·30 YFS
[i
FREQUENCY
1Jl
2:l
MEAN
HOD£
STO DEll
·t·~t·;';"·.
2.
aoo
·,,
ABORtioN
FILE
'· ""
~;,,,•
•
•
NONAME
•
•
•
~ASE.•
4
•
• •
<CREATION DATE
•
•
•
~ASE•
•
•
•
4
•
•
,'!' •
TABLE 4
+ • . . ·C R 0 S
~ ~ ~ ~-;~·.{.
V~
25•30 YR
S
0471677
= 04116177)
•·•
S T _A _B U L A T I 0-
N--Or~.~_· -_.---.--
~ .,,~ •:.~_·(~,f_.,.a!:f~~~.
•
¥ •A~E•
,.____,. -• •---.----..
•,. • • • • ,
ROW
TOTAL
1,'·'.
,J::.
1-'
------------------------------
_________ 1'7~JP.:cE·-s-:-__ ~~~-=-=~---=-~---=-~--- ---FILE • NONAM_E
04/Z.0/77
~t:.LIGI
--"REL
-
CREAT~O
PAGE
04/20/77
8
ON
COD~E~----------~--~--~~~~--~~~~~~------~-1o ••••~••••~~••••••••• C
19)
C~THOLIC
-
!
~
2. ··~·······~······~········
(
!
NON•CATHO~IC
I
. ..
25)
-.
.. ..
.
r ••••••••• r ••••••••• r ••••••• ~.r ••••••••• r •••• ~ •••• I
D
10
FREQUENCY
20
30
40
50
--,-------·----------.....,------,--------------,--~~.,.------------···-----
z.aco
HEAN
STD DEV'
TABLE 6
FILE
04/16/77
NONAHE
CREATED 04/16/77
PAGE
8
.,.I
RELIGION.
REL
i~-
CODE
t.
f·
r
2.
~-··
r
MEAN
' STO OEV
VALID CASES
\__ _____ --------·-
·a:i~·g:'. :;. :·):":·~•~2 I* ~c~},/{- :. :] =·~i~·t; ·_.;;;.:_}iHoo~)-i .....
88
HISSI~G
CASES
z.GOO
0
~
!:'..:>
~
·- --
TABLE 7
04/20177
• C~EAT£0 04/20177
FILE • NONAHE
REL
FAGE
34
1\i::liGI ON
COO£
I
••••••••••••~
1o
I
CATHOLIC
I
C
12)
r
-
-
2o •~••••••••~•••••••••••••••••••••• (
I NON•CATHOLIC
I
----'-
32t
.r ••••••••• x••••••••• x••••••••• x••••••••• t ••••••••• I
0
FREQUENCY
10
20
· 'L,727
Oo451
HEA"'
STO OEV
---vALID CASES
30
1.912
OoZ03
·-HEDIA"'
VAP.IANCE
L4
40
FliSS% NG CASES
50
2.000
HOOE.'
.
..
0
,
I
TABLE 8
ABORTION
NO~AttE--
FILE
-fCR~ATIUN
OATE =•il4116177L<•-
·-··
04/1&17
-.-... ·
_
..
• • • • • • • RACE
.. ••• •• •.••..·~·-··· . c.. ~-o's
~-:t.i·e ui.At
. .
• ... !. ·:, .··: ..... BY
RA~E
• ••
• • •• • • • •• •• • • *• •• • • • • • •• • *• •• • *•• •••• •• • ••
IREL
COUNT
·.- .
~E
WHITE
BLACK
x·o.N··.-'0 F . . . . . . . . . •,
REt.:.
. RELIGION
:
.¥8~ fgfiC1HRUl:~ IstncA;~ I r_s¥=L. >;:<•?) : : :'• L/·> ;? ::;(•; ".....
----j:·-~----jq·-~----zs'"·f
I
43.2
61 .• 3
I
I
56.S
lt3o9
.· ·-·
I
44 '
"J
'
50o0
I
_2 ·. · .---~--~~!~--1_·
12 I _ -··---~~:~-.-_-_
32 I-_
I< _. . . ·•._·.
- ~ c_:__-c: :.
· 21.3-
I
COLUMN
I·>rz.7>I.'<so
I ':' '•. c; & o 1 I: :- .·
13.6 -I
36olt--I
I _. 35 o 7
•1·-··-···I•-·-····I
31
57
~----_,_T_..o_._T=AL_ __ ~_35o2__
64.8
85
100.0
COR~ECTEO CHI SQUAR£· =·'' 1~~9287. ·:.· <wnHl;~otGRif'hF FREEOCH' . _·siGNIFICANCE = . 0.1806
------~-~~~-~-~~~-E~~L~g~f,rJE~-~ ~,I,. t.l,;:;,;;.;:"rt~~~~,;;;J;~!;~Jb~~{;:_ ';i![;Jii!Ji~·~~:;i~X?t~;;;:±_.;:;_:,ii:;~i2 J2~,j<:.;:c _: ,:, _·. ,-_ ~ _ - - ___ _,__._c •..
,.!:::.
w
------ ;:,~::7
EOUC
'
r
CODE
. .FILE :;N,~N~H:~?t~:~~-~:~~~;;=~
EDUCA.TION
. '· . .
'
lD
'·
I
1 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••
_ _ _ _ ___,1"--..!N,_,.C T_EI NIS HE 0 WITH H S
i
--~~~E
24)
...· ,·. · . .. . ,.. ·,. . . ; ...... ,. ;
34)
2. L
·······~··~·······················('
HS GRAD
·
I
I
3 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
3 0)
_L
SOME
I---:--
COLLEGE
·•
·' ......... ··.• ,... . . . ..
·,. . ·...
. 1 o ··
z o... ..•<. · 3 u
.··
I , •• ~ •. • • , , I • • • •··. ~. •. ~-· ,· I ~. • ,· ~ • , ·~ • • I e • • e •. -~ ·•• •·I , , e •· • -~···, • • I
o . . .·•·
FR€QLENCY •
MEAN
MEDIA~
2.066
, SID DEV
''
2.066
VA~C~
0.785
0.616
· ·4 a
· ··
so
z.ooo
MODE
VALID
FILE -
04/20177
NON~ ME
- CREATtD 04/20/77
PAGE
3&
_EDUCATION
CODE
1o
I
··~·········¥····M···········~·········•••tt
I NOT FINISHED WITH HS
(
17)
I
.I
. ·.·.·
.
..
·.· .
.
..·
·.
z•. ......... ,. ...............................
, ................
..
· .. I
.HS GRAD
__:~-~I-
I
-
----- - - - -
--------
3. ••••••••••••••••••••••••
(
I
SOME. COLLEGE
9)
I
r;-;-,., • ••, I •• • • •, .•• I ••• •• • • •• I. •., ••• • • I. •• • • • •. • -r
0
4
8
12
16
20
· . FREQUENCY .
HE: AN
STD OEV
1o "18
o. 75&
MEDIAN
VARIA~CE
1.778
0 o$71
VAllO. CA::.E::. . . ..,, It~,, ;;;J;\;> . ~:~~~ IllG C,ASES •.. , ,,;;~L
-------·--·-·--'--·-·------- ---·-----------
MODE
;;',:' _,:~ ';i0Y -~·iiJiJ· •.
2. 000
. .. :·-,,;·
......
~:·
~
~
-----
--~-:------TAB
FILE - NONAHE
Olt/20/77
LETr____------:·---:-:-·:--·------..--.-.. -.. . ,.. . . ,. .,·
• CREAT:D 04/20/77
EDOCAIION
EIJUC
COOE
~
I
!J.
10
'·.
1 ••••••••• (
.
PAGE
7)
NOT FINISHED WITH HS
.
.
2. I~-··············~
(
HS GRAD
··,_
\1&)
I
.L
3o ······-··~M···········
I SOHE COLLt.GE
(
21)
I
- - - - - - - - I . •••, ••• • I ••• • •••••
0
FREQUENCY
10
.
!'!ODE
2. !+38
0. 5 48
VARIANCE
Oo740
STO DE V
:'•. '·;.;~,,
.
MEDIAN
2. 318
MEA~
Ie •• •·····• I.,. • ••••• I~
20t. • ••• • • ••30..
'0 ·. . -~ so
3. ooc
.··.~
ABORTION
F Il.E
NONMiE
l CREATION
OAT~.<~ ;:~~>r~·);;; ~~~~~ 8-:;#'·<F'.\ '.;,.:.
··
,; .· ,· . ;"; .· .· .
.u 471677
a8~u~g 1 ~~~:F ~~f .··-~··~---~R-~0 ~·.·~~~~-- C~L'l:_T§~~-~:·:'0,·;;:,·.:';~~~~f~:;·~:c;·;l'i'·\~;;;,;:;·:/.'i·•·•••. · ,·•
li
TUIFCT"Lc-···--r;r------c;-r--~or
RACE
--------I--------1--------I·-------I
1.
__ WHI'lE
I
I
7
15."l
I
I
3~4
1b
I
I
21
47,7
I
I
I
38,6
I
40o'3
I
20.5
l~olJ
.·. z.•. ~l--~!il~-~i_!f~l-~1-~H:!--1<
;;,;
f.
BLACK
1
I
70.&
19.3
-I~-------
I
I
52.9
20.5
I-------·
I
I
30.Q
10.2
I--~-----~--
44
50.0
t -.•(4;·:;t; ;:j:.:;[.~: .; ;·r-r~.;:.. :g_ j· ~t· ,.:r..··.>:L .
l
1
I
c·~-~¥~~ • .•.·. . ;:·~r:.•~·;:;,);;·,?::._3a_~~-' . },;i,'._{/:·34~.l /·. :·. ioo?~:;_:i.:;:··t\'"'.;,::.·_···~·'' ,'·.;'·> Ec, · · · • :.:./. · · ·
• CHI SQ~A~E ::
CO~TIN
.
ENCY GOEFF CIE T::
----------------
_-.,
. i·08~31 WITtf> roEGREES OF FREEDOM ..:/\SIGNIFICANCE = . 0.0107
0,3
..
589
-~-----------------------------------------------------
--- ------
-
.
-··--- .
I
,J:>.
CJ1
TABLE 13
Olt/16177
FILE •
MARITAL
HAF.STAT
• CREATED Olt/16177
NONAHE
PAGE
12
STATUS
co~~· !••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
SINGLE
Ut
_______ I
I
I
2 ••••••••••••••••••
c
16t
;__________ I
MARIUEO
_____ _
I
l.
I____5EJ!£f< .UEO__OL 01 YO lie£
!.•..•••...•...•..••••.•
I
23)
,
... '···········
c
~l)
_._. -~~~-1 _LlYU.G J41TH_SOH~ONE
I
l•••••••••l•••••••••l•••••••••l•••••••••l•••••••••l
0
10
20
311
ItO
SO
FREQUENCY
t1EAN
2.U80
_sro oev
1.096 .
VALID CASES
"EOIAN
1o875
'~·.lrARIAt.CE_
88
HISSING
h2DII
loDOO
MODE
c __
D
CASES
TABLE .14
..
·- •.. ,_.,. ··•··
~..
FILE •
Olt/20177
Hil~ITAL
Ui<STAI
NONAME
PAGE
• CREAT!D 0\120177
12
STA10;)
· - ----
-_CODE •
I;
1 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• '
I
"~ 11AR.I<IEOc
z. ······-·
3
..
291
StNGU
71
(31
. ~I•••SEPE~AT£0
OP. OIVO~CE
~ •••• _.
• J
c
51
LU ING IIITH
SOMEONE
-
··
'
'
--
-------lih.;;or.on-• i""'i"iT"i1• • ' •.••••• l " •••••••• l. ,·-:·-.•"'•'"'•'"'•r.•'"'•'"'!h-o,•.rj""•""'•..,•-=·-=·-=!.cli~---------0
1
FREQUENCY
HEAl'(
STO OEV
--¥At!O CAStS
lo f:36
lo036
~-
-
20
311
1o259
loD71t
11EOUN
VA"-IAKCE
~1SSIHC
CA -
ItO
HOOE
:>0
lo 000
,.J::.
Q)
-·--·--•·-·---o ••
-~~-·
-••••••• ••··--·-··•
•••-. - - ••• ••
TABLE 15
HAI<.STAT
•
FILE: • NONA HI!
Olt/20177
~RE~T~D
FAGE
Olt/20/77
38
STATUS
MA~nAL
conE
I
1e I
I
I
····A···················
(
SINGLE
9)
2. ~~·············~~-·~···'
I
HARF<IE:O
9)
I
I
3. -~····~·~-·-··4··•*••·····························~
I SEPERATfO OR CI~O~CE
201
I
~.
I
~•••••~¥••~•••~~
l
WITH
LI~ING
I
OJ
SO~~O~E
x•••••••••• I ••••••••• ~-----------r-----------,~----------r-----------------------t ••••••••• I ••••••••• x••••••••• x
0
MEAN
8
~
F~EQUENCV
2.523
STO DEV
VA~IANCE
MISSING
~4
20
. 16
2.709
~!OIA~
Oo976
----nL.IO COASEs
12
MOOE
0.953
3. 000
0
CAS~s
TABLE 16
04/16/7"
ABORTION
FTic-
NOiiAME~ATION
OATE =
;)4/161771
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
CR 0 S S T A BUL A T I 0 N
0 F
• • • • • • • •
• • ..RACE
. . .. • • •RACE
• • • • • .. • • "' • .• .. .. " -.:-.---.---. . . * • •BY.. •HA~STAT
• .. • • • MARITAL
• . . • • • •STATUS
•••
COUNT
I~ARSTAT
RUH PCT !SINGLE
r'lARRlEO
COL PCT I
RACE __
WHITE
LIUING W
St:.PER~IE
0 OR OIV ITH SOME
!_~-~~!_.i
------!:.1------~:f
.•..•• ~:. rt------~:.~
1.
I
2'1 -T
-- 5 I
-,--~
1
I
65.9
76.3
I
I
15,9
43.7
I
I
----~
&,,
13,0
I
I
11.4
45.5
I
I
ROR
TOTAL
~
50.0
------___,_,..t'"="---=-=~!-:~_--:.f----~~~;.-;;h----:.-ht-..-..f-.;;;.-EL.-f--·---·--------,
2. I
9 I
9 I
ZO I
& I
44 .
BLACK
I 20.5 I 20,5 I ~5.5 I 13.6 I 5Q,O
2.i,_7~_L _ _56.2
I
87.0_!
54.5
I
I to.21--1o-;-z~I 22:.1 I
&.a I
·I••••••••I••••••••I••••••••I·-···-··I
COLU~N
38
1b
23
.
11
68
I~HAL __
43.2_ __18oZ
__ 26.L_
lZ_...L __ J_OO.IJ
CHI SQUA~E =
23.432~4 WITH
3 DEGREES OF F~EEOOH
SIGNIFICANCE =
CONTINGENCY COEFFICIENT =
Oo4S857
~
0.0000
,.!:>.
--.:]
"
r---c------------------------------,------------------------------- -------··--------------------------------- ·----- -----····-··----- ---· . -··--·- -- ·-· ·····-- ··- ... -·-·---···
TABLE -17 - ------ ---------·-- --· ---·- - - - - - - - - - -
FILE - NONAME
04/16/77
I
I
C~EATEO
-
PAGE
04/16/77
14
I
ANY CHILDREN.
CHLORN
COOE
I
1 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• (
I
I-
YES
-
_- -·. . .
- _-· . .
40J
-
z. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
l
ItS)
le••••••••I•••••••••l•••••••••I•••••••••l•••••••••I
0
FREQUENCY
zo
10
30
40
50
L~Is_ND_EV _-__ -__-_·-in:~-~i·'0l;~-IT\::f·i~ij·~~~~--·-~ci~~;-\<_;· :---~:~·~v2~;_:;J: t1bo·~:;yf. .• ~- - ·VALID CASES
MISSING CASES
88
0
TABLE 18
FILE • NONA ME
04/Zil/77
•
CREAT~O
ANY CAILOREN
--c-HLORN.
04/Z0/77
PAGE
11t
,
.••. COOE
1•
.i.
..,..- ••••••
I
7)
YES
!J.
..
. .
.
•.
··.
..
...
z.. ·····························~········
.(
37).
I NO
!.1-.----.- • • • • • • • -le • • • • • • • • -l • • • • • • • • • -1---.----.----.
e· e---.----.---.-.-l-.----..-e---.-e----.---.--.-L-0
FREQUENCY
HEAN
STO OEV.
VALia eAses
1tl
1o~841
MEDIAN
30
·
·-···uxssxNe
40
i•.,-.... - ... 1. 9C5 ;.,:-;;:.,,_,_: . MODE ... •••
V4RIANCE:_. ,;
0. 370
"'~~'
20
•. 0 io 137 : ;,_:~; ·.
50
------
z. !100
eisEs' ··· · tf
,_j::,.
OJ
''''--"
r----------
------·--·-----
-----------------··- -----·-·---- ...
--~---·-····-·--·
--l
TABLE 19
•
FILE • NONAHE
04120/17
CFE~T;O
PAGE
04/20/77
~0
ANY CHI LOREN
CHLDRN
conE
l
331
1. ···4·················4··~·4••••f••
I
YF.S
I
I
2 • ......
$ .......... .
I
NO
111
·i0 .•..•• ····~··•••••••I•••••••••l•••••••••I•••••••••I
10
20
FREQUENCY
30
I"EOIAN
VAR.IANCE
1. 250
ME fiN
o. 1138
OEV
~D CASES
STO
MI~SING
4'
NONA~E
RACE
•
•
•
•
0
•
•
RACE
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
------
04/1617
= 04/1&/771
CCREATION DATE
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
•
1. 000
110DE
1o1H
0.192
CASeS
SO
TABLE
20
--------
AtlO~TION
FILE
40
•
•
•
•
CR0 S S T ABULA T I 0
~
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
BV•
•
CHLJ~N
•
4
0 F
•
•
• • • • • • • •
ANY
CHILDREN
•
•
$
•
•
•
•
•
•
CHL.ORII
.
RACE
WHITE
COUNT I
ROH PCT lYES
NO
ROW
COt PCT I
TOTAL
nrr-~>c-.--~ 1. r
z. I
··-···-·I-·····--1··----··I
1. I
7 I
37 I
44
L 15.9_L___3!t.1 I
1r--;-~1
I
s.o I 4Z.o I
·I··----·-I·--·-·••1
___ L
33 I
11 I
r11~s-r
z.
BLACK
--I- 75~1l
I
82.5
I
I
25.11
22.9
I
I
SD.D
---·----·--·---'-------
4'+
50.0
I J7.5 I 12.5 I
•I•··-···•I••••••••I
-..-a
48
n
TOTAL
45.5
54.5
100.0
CORRECTEG
S~UA~E =
28.645R3
WITH 1 DEGREE OF FREEOOH
--cm:<TINGENCY Ot. FICIENT =
·-_ 0.51029
~tr""-
GHh
u-
SIG~!FICANCE
=
O.DODO
.,J:::.
(.!)
·TABLE· ·21·
FILE - NONAME
04/16/77
ABCRT
PREVIOUS
...... --·------·· ·-··-·· ·--·- ·- "1
!
• CREATED· 04/1&/77
PAGi::
1&
~BORTIONS
CODE
I
1· ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
-----~I,__
451
lES
I
····4·······································
NO
2. I
I
"31
I•••••••••I•••••••••I•••••••••I•••••••••l•••••••••I
0
10
20
30
40
50
F~£QUENCl
MEAN
~SJJLJi_fV_
__
1.4!9
OoS_GL
VALID CASES
--~·
88
MEDIA~
1.47$
_IIARIHCE.
0.• 253
HISSII'iG CASES
0
HOOE
1o000
'--'-'--------· -----·--'-----TABLE 22
FILE • NONA11E
04/20/17
•
CREAT~O
1&
F'REV100Silt!ORTIUN5
ABOftf
CODE
x---
19)
1. ·~············~·····
1 YE"S
I
2. ~•••~••w•••••••••••·~~··~• I
I
NO
I
·.I • • • • • •• • • I • • • • • • • • ;""! •.• • • • • • • •
0
FREQUENCY
HEA~
STO OEV
IIAt:f~
PAGE
04/20177
t:.rrti!'S
1.568
Oo501
lito
1D
20
l'EOIAN
VA~IA~CE
MI~G
25)
•.,.•
~'""""•"'"•-=.-..,...,.. .,t~.,....,..,.•""•-:•:-•::-:-•-=·-.-I,_
30
1.520
a.25l
40
HOOE
50
____________
z. 000
CAS!$-:------'-0"
CJ1
0
~--·------------·-·-·····
------ -----..,------------------------- ----------------------- ··-··· .... ·----
-----
TABLE 23
-
FILE • NONAME
04/20177
04/2G/77
C~tlT~O
PAGE
42
PREVIOUS AEORTIONS
ABORT
con.-
I
1. ········~··················
I YF"S
I
c
2&1
I
2. ······~············
c
181
I
NO
I
~---· • •. • l. • • • • • • • • I • ;-. • .-.-.- -.·;I.•• • • • • • • • I • • • • .~
0
ill
20
~Q
40
50
F~EQUENC'I'
MEAN
STO CEV
VALID CASES
M~DIAN
VARI~NCE
1.409
0.497
44
Oo247
MODE
1.
aoo
-----wrssroN~G~c~A~s~~~s~--~u~--~----------------------------
--. ···--- ·-~
ABORTION
FILE
NOffi<l'IE
1.3~&
..T~E.L]J.4
- - ... - - - - - ··- -
~
'
...
0'+11&17:
ICREAT.IOil DAft :: Oll/1o17TJ
• • RACE
• • • • •• •RACE
••••••• •• •
C R 0 S S T A B U L A 8 ~ IA~O~T
0 F
• • • • •
PREVIOUS
• • •
ABORTIO~
ASO~T
COUNT
____ _
COL PCT I
TOTAL
·:.
TOT PCT 1
1.X
2.1
' RACE
·-------I ·-------I-------1. I -·~~~--r~--~z·~~~--7r.--------~----------------------------------.
I
4J,2 I 5&<8 I
WHITE
I 42.2 1 58.1 I
I 21.& I 26.4 I
-r····'-"'26.. '""'I------•-r
2. I
I
1S I
44
BLACl<
I 59.1 I 40.9 I 50.0
I 57,8 I 41.9 I
I z9. s · reo ;-s---r
•I••••••••I····-···I
COLUMN
45'
4J
86
TOTAL
51.1
48.9
100.0
CORRECTED CHI SQUARE =
1,&3721
WITH 1 DEGREE OF FREEOOM
SIGNIFICANCE = 0,2007
CONTINGENCY COEFFICIENT =
Q,15715
~OH
CJ1
I-'
. TAB.LE 25
Olt/20177
FILE • NONA HE
OF F#YPENf FOP.
P~HOO
•
CP.EAT~D
04/20/77
PAGE
18
ABO~tiCN
_CODE _
1•
If·········~··············
CASH
2o
!••••••••••••••••••••
I
H:?:O I•CAl
c
C
241
2Ct
---------tl:.,.,.i-o·
•••••• 10
•t • ••••••••20:t •••••••••30J: •••••••••40%•••••••• ...-r----·
0
50
F~EOUENCY
------~---------------------------------~------------·----HEAN
1.4~5
HF.DfAH
1o ft17
· MODE
1o GOO
STO DEV
VAR ANCE
Oo504
---'t"A1;f1)-tUr':!
Oo254
~~~~·~~--~------------------~----
Ill:
TABLE. 2"6 ·
FILE •
04/16177
PAYHI'IT
I'IONAHE
HETHGO OF FAVHENT
Ctrlk:
~ I
.
.
1 •••••••••••••••••
I
l
f
CASH
• CREATED 04/16177
tOR AaORTICN
c
PAGE
l8
._,
291
2 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
H£0I•PAL
c
591
l•••••••••l•••••••••l·•••••••••I•••••••••I••••••~••l
0
20
.. o
60
t"REOUENCV ------~~-------MEAN .
STO OEV
VALID CASES
\
1o670
·• .· HEOIAt\ ·
1o751t .·
Oolt7_3__. _· ~Rlll.CE_______L.2U '
U
.HISSHiG CASES
80
-~~-
.. HOGE
.
100
t.OiiO
0
!
--·----·--------····-
----- ---- ------
----------------------------------------------
en
N
-----~-------·---------------------------------·---·-----------rABL"l:_TI
PAYifNT
•
FILE • NONA HE
Olt/20/17
CREAT~D
__________________ _
FAGE
Olt/20177
..
,.
tiETHOO OF PAYMENi FOR ABORTION
t. •••••• c
.I
I
1
2.
----
5J
CASH
3'H
······4·································
- KEDI•CAL
•••••••••10x•••••••••20t •••••••••30I •••••••••ItOx••••••••~
50
FREQUENCY
HFAN
STO Oel/
vALID CA~ES
t. ae&
o. 321
~4
11£:0 IAtf
VA" lANCE
1oi136
..-
~
o.uu
HIS~v u"~~J
MODE
2. 000
-TABLE -2 8 - • - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - AlJOiUION
FILE
O'i/16717
hl~A~E
CCREATION DATE z G4/16177J
" *. * ' • • • •
-c--R 0 S S f A 8 0 ·c A I 1 1flf
0 F
* + * • +"""1:~~·• --.-.--.~ • • • • I
RACE
·
BY PAYHNT
MET1100 OF PAYHENT FOR ABORTION
• • • • • • ~ • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • PAGE
4
* IUCE
• * *
PAIIt
4 •
.,--• •
ROM
TOTAL
RACE
WHITE
DEGREE OF
F~EEGOI1
··SIGNIFICANCE "
OoOOOO
(J1
w
']
TABLE 29
•
FILE • NONA!1E
Olt/20177
CREAT~O
PAGE
0~/20/77
:--s-IR
-------
_
coo~
l.
1 •••••••••••••••••• '
1
16)
YES
I
't----------*.............................. c -28) i
i NO
·
.
·
t •••. ~ ••.• z••••••••• ~••••••••• x••••••••• z••••••••• t
2.
0
FREQUENCY
HEAH
STO
I
20
10
1e63&
0.487
DE~
'--VALia CASES
""
20
30
HEOIAN
VARIANCE
50
~0
1.71r.
Oo237
.
HOOE ·.
·
··
tiiSS-tttG-e-ASES · · .• ·. ·•· D .: · ·
·----·---
2.000·-----
'
·
I
· · .. · ·
TABLE "30
FlLE • NONAHE
04116177
-CREATED 04/16177
PAGE
ZO
BIRCON
,~:·;
cooe:
:;" > ~/ .. .'
I
.
.
1o •••••••••••••••••• (
I
*"t
2.
YES
JJJ
!·-·~a:_:_•• ~.;~~; ••~~-•• ~~·:~ •.•• ~
f.;.:.·; ss; ..
l
I•••••••••l•••••••••l•••••••••l•••••••••l•••••••••l
0
t~JaNDE~
F~EQUENCY
40
60
80
100
·
.:)·~::i~ ;::;·~,;/';J~·(U~~n:f{i·; ·::-:-;·.<i··ti'gi~-~~~:-i;.:. Hoof·>:.>. \' ·
VALID CASES
'---------------------···
zo
88
HISSING CASES
z.·ooo
0
----------- h--------------------·- -· --·--·--·- ·---·
I
..J
()1
,.!:::.
---"---~--~--------- ·------·--------------------·~--------
·---------
__________ __ ________ _____
.,
_:.
,
···--
-----. - ---·
-·- ·-·-~·-
·-·
---- --·-
TABLE 31
---·--~·----'--·
NON~ME
FILE •
04/'!IJ/71
•
C~EAT~O ~4120171
PAGE'
46
IJH.CON
-----~r-
c
t •••••••••••••••••••
I
·'···---·-----
17J
Y~S
--1-----------·-2.
C
••••••••~••••••••~4•~••••• 4 •
J
o
----
Z71
NO
-------·--t..-;;-;.-;;;;}-;;-;;;;-:;-;-;t • • • , • • • ~--;r;-;;-;·t--;-;~-. • • • • • • • I
F~EQU<rNCY
HE~N
src oEv
zo
1G
.
3a
o.• : . . o~
V41UANCE
~t~~~..--
2. 000
MODE
. lo !18?
H::OIAI'f
1.~1~
o.493
so
~o
MIS~~Cl~-----~--·------~~--~-------------
TABLE 32
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - . . -. - - . - - -. - - - - - - . - - - - - - - - - ~
0411&177
ABORTION
. . . ..
• • • • • • • • •• • • • • •
....
.............. ...............................
.
-ncr---mJmlllr--Tt"R"EnrmrtJl'Tr= u47 to7nr·----......;---·------'---·
~ACE
j
l
]
J
~
_
•RllCE
•
•
C R 0 S S T A B U L A~~ IB~R~ON 0 F
--
. ·S~trl BIRCON
CtOL PCT
'fES
Nr
T ·T PC T
---_-_.,.!:f "' . 2 •1
1<0
TOTAL
--;:n--~;~iT so.a
r·r
18.~
i
--8-:-L-A~C-K------2-.-:.=-ilr-::.,-::-.=:;:
~
·
50o9
31.8
l
I
I
~ ~ ~ c--~ 50~~
'Slo5
TOTAl.
49ol
l
•l••••••••l••••••••I
!3
31.5-
CORRECTEa CHI SQUARE • ·
CONTINGENCY COEFFICIENT a
. ..
. ' .
' '
; ·.
.
.o
r-A,.o-r-T--.Jli.T~
COLUHU
...
.. ..
55
. 62.5
a.ouoo
0 .o 2347
...,;. .j'·:~\\.~· ;:t.·;.-(a.,··"~.: ~.... ;....: ··- ~~.--~)~;,;.~
:-,.:
~:;, ..,..:.
.
8S
lOG.D
WITH 1 DEGREE OF
..... - ..... -
f~EECO~
SIGNIFICANCE = 1o0000
. .. -- . - . - - - - .
·~
~
~·
~
- - - .•
'-
(J1
(J1
TABLE 33
•
F'ILE • NOtU11E
IJ .. /16177
PAGE
IJ,./16177
C~EATED
2Z
SOURCE CF SEX EOUCATION
SEXED
I
·--~----·----------------------------~----------~
CODE I
1 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
-----~I~hC~~~E
!f.....................................
2.
_
____________________________ _311
sc~~-
!....•...•.•••.•.....
3.
f
FUEtlPS OR
c
-----------------37t
-----------·----
20t
OJ~~f;..!RI..iSt-__. . . . , . , . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
l•••••••••l••••••••~l•••••••••l•••••••••l•••••••••I
0
1il
20
3D
.. 0
50
F~EOUEl\ICY~~-:
"EDIA~
·n!l
.
. _s_ra__o..EL
HEAN
1.575
___ L-Z.!ZS
~ALIO
.LlA~t.wC...sE.__
ea
CASES
__
1.851
---.J~t.a..;;!..UI__..
HISSING CASES
HOOE
0
TABL-E-34
SEXED
• CRCATtD 0.. /ZC/77
FilE • NO"'A11E:
Olt/20177
2.000
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
PAGE
2Z
--suURCE"~letJUClli!UR------
CODE
t
t • ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
I
--------~-----·----·--
2. ••~•••••~••••••••••••~••••••••~•••••••~••••••• I
SC!iCOL
-
I
3, •••••••••••••••••••••
f
1U
H011l
F'RilNDS OR OTHERS
c
1~)
et
I •••••••• • ! , •••••• ...-l"i'Ti"iT·-m·1.....-rm.........-h • •• • • • • • !
0F~EQUENCY .. .. . ·.·
'
12
16.
20
. ·.
ItEAM
STD DE'I
'--v:tL'I'D l'!UU
11EO U.~
lo 773
o.ru
VA~IANC~
lllf
I'IISSt'tlft-eAS!S
1.122
o.ssz
liOilE
lo iJOO
II
'·,•.
·-----N-•••-------·--- ------· ·-·"- -oO -·••••-
p••-••'•
en
0)
~
-----------------------~----------------------
- 0:/2~-~t7
. FilE • NOtUH~ :-_:~41~0 ~-;;/20177 ----~~-~~-_:___ _____ _
SlXEO
I
----- TAi3i-:E-35____ ------------- -- ·-- ----- ---
OF
SOU~Ce
~~X
SOU~ATION
--------
____C.D.:J.!:.T -:---.-----------------:·
II
1. ····-·~·················~·········
(
J HOI!€.
------t-
-------
13)
----,--
--------------------
(
••••••a•••••••••~••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
2.
I
.
SCH~OL
----f--"-------------------·
'
•l. ·····~·······~····-············
I FF'IlNlS CiR OTHERS
lll
121
- - - -~-. •. • ••• , • I • • • •• •, ,-;r;-;;;;;... ,. I ••••• ,-;;-;-r, • •. • • • • • I
0
~
~
1Z
16
20
FREOUE NCV
.
.
H£AN
1.~77
1,97.
o.;&l
M~OIAN
VARI~NCE
0,762
STO CEV
--vA"da CllSES
2. ODD
d
~---RIS"szmo-tASES
TABLE 36
-ABtiiiT!lm'
NONii'IE
FILE
HOD!
(CREATION DATE •
0'1/lb//(-
0~116177)
••••••••••••••••••
GROSSIA8UCA11Utf
OF
• .....-.-.++++++
SCU~CE
Of SEX EDUCATION
• • RACE
• • •• • • • • • • • • • • : •. • • • •. • • • • • • • • • •8Y• •SEXED
• • • • • • ••••••••••
R4C~
st~
~asu~~'
IHotle
PCT f
scHooL
---~i.
~l
RACE
PCT
1.~
FIUEN·ls
Rolf
9.!L!l_THE~
TO.uTA!l.-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
r.T
--,-•. -
-~·••·•·I••••••••t•-~--···I•••·-·-•t
WHITE
.
1
~-~:4~£~~ i---~·~-!---f-U.:...~It:!-0__.. _._. . ___.___.__ __._..._.____________
y
~
2Jo5
20o5
I
9ol
T
f -------- Lc.
U. --------'····----f
__ 19 I__
U
f
I Z':le 7 . I · liT.--z--r-77 • OS I
. t ~~:: I U:~ J U:l
"~
!_L_
J.
-~---··1·-------~-----·
BLACK
-----------c-a-..~
TOTAL
'""11 .
3So2
5Do 0
ZZ.7
•
~
•
•
•
•
.., .J· :.;.· .......
.,~·
~.IJ_.T!SOO
';·
·,.-e·:i,.
· •.. ""'· ....
·.
,
.
100.0
SQilll~~--iA~lJ~_ 11H--~~ES_Q£_f~QOH
-·----------
. .
'!lr-. ---"--a-s--------·---------------·------------------·--
'!T-
. 1t2oO
CHI
CONHtHiEN~Y COEFFl~lENf s:
.·. ·_. . · · ·
,
~
-
SIGNIEICA.uN~C~E-==--~aL.4~41~94----------------
.
. .,. . ..,. -
..,
•
.
•
-
·-·--·---------------=----·
a
c.n
"'.J
~----------,- -----------_-_o-_41_-1_-~_l_n
T_:_r<B_E;_T_~_o_3o_~_I_1_&_17_7
_ _ _ _ _F_I_L_E_·_N_O_NA_14_E_.-___
I
INFO
I
A~iA SE~ lNFG~HAflON
_ _ _ _ _P_A_GE__2_4_ _,..---
OF
cone:
1
1 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• (
1
2.
42)
SEX cg P~~------------------------------------------
l. ••••• c
6,
l __ _t!IitlH_CONlliOLOiLABO
I
_ _
JOt
3. '······························
1 ALL
f
4. ; .......... .
I
lilt
NCNE
I
l•••••••••l•••••••••l•••••••••l•••••••••l•••••••••I
0
10
2il
30
40
50
Fll.EQUENCY
2. 091
lalll
HEAtl
STO OEV
VALlO
CASES
I'IEOIAt
VA~IA CE
"ISSI~G
18
1.833
1.279
CASES
I'IODE
lI
~
1. 000
D
I
TABLE 38
FILE • NOIIAKE
04/20177
• CREAT£0 04120177
PAGE
24
Ai(£A 0 F SEX ""J:l{Flji{M"K"ArrtnonN.--------.,----------- -.,----
--u~FO
CODE
---~~'-·r-----·---·
2U
t. ••••••••••••••••••••••
------'~
SEX OR FPEGNANCY
•t .
Zo ••••• I
f
BIRTH CONTROL OR ABO
~
'···· .
f
la ••••••••••••••••
"·
ALL
SJO DEY
,..
! NONE
'
' .
iD. .... • ....1G!; ••••••• d!.te· ••• • ••.• 30
•frm·......-..n....-.m.........-rr---··
ioO
'II
FREQUENCY
!'lEA~
ua
2.
04!5
lo09'J
··
HECIAN
Vo\RIA"'CE
1o7!511
lo21i7
----···---···--·--------
MO£JE
lo OOC
--vA"t:f!J-C1t"!!"$---1ffr~f!StttG-~-stt--tt
<.n
co
··-----.-~------------~----------TABLE.
39-----'--------- ---·-
-~---------
Dlt/20/~7
Fll( •
-fNFO
~
• CREAT£0 Olt/20/77
NONAH~
- -PAGE
- -50- - - -
AREA OF-SEX lNt:O?.HlTIO'f
_ _ _ C.O.Ili:.
r-
t. ········~········~····
I
211
s::x oR P~E_G_N_A_u_c_v_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
2..... t
21
-------i~..___BIRTH CO"'T~Ol OR ABG
3. I··············~·
ALL
I
I
••••••• I
~.
~
c
151
61
NON[
'.-. ••• .--••• 1· ••••••• ' l• •••••••• l· •••• • --• ......---I--.-.-....-.---.--.-•• ~
0
1ll
20
33
't G
50
FP.~QUENCY
.
.
MEAN
S!O DE'I
-----vnnr'ClSES
2.1Jf;
t. 113
z.oao
H~OlAN
VA~IANCE
HOD£
1e376
1. 000
fll"SSVI!i-!;JiSEs-- - II
ltli
TABLE 40
04/1&177
ABORTION
Fll.E ---NONJI!fE - ICl<UTTON IJITE"=--lll+IT677H
••••••••••••••••••
~se,
, , ~A~E.,
i
" .. • "' ., "
CltOSSTASU1.4TIOII
.. --.--.-' "
i
i
INFO
RACE
-
WHITE
,
OF
i
""""""",.""1
-~~ fF ,sp,I~!~!S~A.p.~!t
.
~~hex oP. P 1:\I'HHCO ALL
· NOH"r·-~oli
COL PCT lREGUANCY NJROL CR
TOTAL
tot PCT 1
t.I
z.l
•••••• ;.·1-•••••••I•••••••• ····-·•·••••••••
I.
.
I
I.
zl
lt7.7
SO.O
I
I.
4
9.1
&&.1
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _..,... __z.J,...9._l_ _
4 •.2._.
81.ACK
4 " 4 .--.-.-tlf~F9
2.
3.1
~Jit.l I
SO.Ow
u:.._o.
... I---r.r.--'---'"-----------
Jt-I
9.t
__lt!lo!l
.!'..t.2.
I
1
I
47.7
_ · It•\
J
~lt.l
~
!J•o
so.o
It----------------------
• ------·-1------·-------2~
Z
U
I --·-----1
6 I
------·--t-l-U.
C01.UHN
IS
I
~It
50.0
· .lr.-J-rl-J~I--t-"·1:+-t - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-t--------t--·--·--I~-------x--------1
4Z
6
311
10
_ _ _ _ _ _...;f,..OwT~A~!.lt7o1
&,II
31tol
CHI SQUA.E ~
. 1£06~~7 WlTH
3 CEGREES OF
CONTINGENCY CO:Fri~IENT •
Ool091tlt
lltlt
FREEDO~
118
UJJ,_,.'-"0'-----·---------·
SIG~IFICANCE
*
Oo71151
-·--·-~·····-
····-···- -
·--·-··-····-.
·-·- --··-· ---·- ...
c.n
<.o
TABLE 41
FILE • NONAME
04/16/77
'wouL.ti Mok£' 'EdU~Aliotif'j:.~v~· ~RE\IENft:o
PRVNT
PAGE
- CREATED 04/16/77
2&
··'
PREG
COOE I
1o •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
I YES
:'''iJ:,;·,n·f,··
=.·. :·<;
.· .,I•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
:, .· · · · . · ;;
<< :· .· ;.
2~
I
I
NO OR MAYBE
(
SOJ
38J.
:.. · . ·.·.
I ••••••••• I ••••••••• I ••••••••• I ••••••••• I ••••••••• x
0
10
20
30
40
so
CASES
'···---
----- --
;--:.:...:.-.~-----~ ~-\i·,i.i;:-;-;;.
~
·. :
.... -:-:·--· ........ - - -
-
-
·TABLE'42
FILE • NONA HE
Oft/20177
PR VN I .·.
-~-~;;;.;:;.-·:,.·- ......... ~
-
.........
• CREAT!D 04/20/77
~
-
- - .. -· ..
....
PAGE
2&
. .FIOt:Jt:lTrfORE E D~TIONffA~EVE'N'T:E1J'"-p'F:.Eli
.:·-;
,. • CODE·.···
; .'
1. .......................... (
I
~
,.
23)
YES
.
>: .::.....
·.,.""',._.:·._..·. . . .:"""·
. . ·. ,_:-----=-----------~.....__....._
,. ·\'.,.:,:·;;~r·t·~.-~~r~~f'r ~·~]J.r
2
... ·.····
...
~········ti~·····~·ii········li~·······,~····~·~·;fi
FREQUENCY
f& !!::~~~~~1;~~~~!:m~~-!;,3~!i~:~~~ ~;~".
•· to...
.·
·-----
0)
0
~------------- ---------;----~---
--------------------- --------- ··--------- ------ ----- -------
I
"!
TABLE 43
FILE • NONAME
0~120177
•
C~EAT:u
04120177
PAGE
52
lfOUI.O r.o;:(£Eoif,:ATIOII HAVE: PR£1/Et.TED PfiEG
PP.VtfT
coo;:
I
27)
t. ·&·····~··~······4••••••»•••
I
YES
~--···············
2. I
NO OR M~YSE
I
'
17)
I •• • • , • • • • I , • • • • • , ~-;;;-;-;-,--;-;;y-, , • • • • • • • I • • • • • • • • • J.
o
10
zo
3o
~a
so
F~EQU'!:NCY
HEAN
STD OEV
vJLlD
MrOIAN
VA?.:;:ANCE
1, UiE0, 1.93
CA~ES
~-.
1.31;;
I,J
o.z
MOO£
lo OQ!)
HI~SinG·~~~~----~or-----------------------------------
- - - -··- - - - - TABLE 44
"AmlliTIVN
FILE
O"liTI07rr----~G~r3
NJNME
ICRE4T10~
* ,. •
D•TE
= 04/16177)
~ qACE
*' +
* * ' " ' *~---.---..-- C R 0. S s t A irU" L ABYT I PRVNT
o ~o FWOULD
. ' • HORE
' ' *
" ' .--.....--~HA~E
' *P~E~ENTEO
* ~ ' ' ' P~EG
'
RAC~
EDUCATION
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • PAGE 1 OF 1
FRVNT
COUNT I
PCT IYES
CUI. P~T I
rorl'"CT I
~Ok
;
~ACE
NO OR MA
~0~
TOTA~L~--------------------------------------~--------------------<:.r---'"
1.l YBE
·--·-·-·I-·······1····--•-I
J_2hl--f-*at'?_O~~
HHI,_,_T_.,_£_ _
l. n&ol
i
i
i
-I•. !!:! •• t ••!!:!.. t·
so
J&
I
23.-J
2. -~···-2;·-J··--17--x
·-.orrc-.:A-..CVR-'-----,-~"---&-ot. 4
31r.o I
----------·c~JruaR
TOTAL
Sit. D
lt~t.
56o8
ltJ,Z
~~5aHH~~¥~j~leNf
=
44
50 • 0
7
sa
100o0
.
-------,---------------------------------------------------~
O.~!B~-t(U!LJ DEGRE£ OF FRHOOrl
SIGNIFICANCE "'
0.5185
(j)
f-'
CHAPTER V
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This study investigated the reasons as to why women are experiencing abortion and if Black and Caucasian women share common reasons.
The area of investigation was directed toward the following eleven variables: Age, religion, education, marital status, number of
children, previous abortions, method of payment, birth control, source
of sex education, area of sex information and would more sex education
prevent pregnancy?
The subjects selected for the study were 44 Black and 44 Cauca sian women between the ages of 18 and 3 0 • All of the women in the
sample were patients at the San Vicente Hospital and were between 8
and 12 weeks pregnant. They were all going to experience a dilation
and curretage. A self-made questionnaire was administered to obtain
the necessary information in order to compare the reasons why these
two groups of women were having abortions.
The Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 6. 02
11
Fre-
quency Program,. was run on the total sample. The Chi-Square Statistic
I
l compared
the set of frequencies actually observed and frequencies that
i
i were
obtained only by chance. The 0. 05 level of significance was set
I for the
study. We found that 4 out of 11 variables showed a highly
I significant relationship.
L_
62
The four variables that showed a significant relationship were
I
education, marital status, number of children and method of payment.
II
It was found that in the area of education 38.6% of the Black women in
I
I
the study did not finish high school while 15.9 of the Caucasian women
did not finish high school. The percentage of Black high school graduates was 40.9% while that of the Caucasian women was 36.4%. For
Blacks who attended college the percentage was 20.5% andthe
percent~
I
age for Caucasian women who attended college was 4 7. 7%. Twice as
1
many Caucasian women in our sample had college education than did
I
the Black women and yet all 88 women were having abortions. It is,
I
I
therefore, difficult for us to draw any meaningful conclusions from thes~
I
statements except to state that academic education does not guarantee I
I
sex education.
I
A very significant statistic was the Chi-Square 0. 00 that resulted
from Table 16 discussing marital status as compared to Black and Cau-j
casian women. We found that 20.5% of the Black women in the study
.
were single while 65.9% of the Caucasian women were single. Th~
1
married Blacks comprised a percentage of 20.5 and the Caucasian wo-
I
I men showed 15.9% that were married. The Black women showed that
I(
·
I
I
1145.5% were separated or divorced compared to only 6. 8% for that of the
J
I Caucasians. It was found that 13.6% of Blacks were living with some-
i
I,
i one other than parents or: spouse and the correlating figures for Cau-
I ca sians was
I!
i
11. 4% • Our conclusions from the above statistics are that I
I' three times more Caucasian women than Black women in our study were I'
I
I
j
I
t
single. Almost eight times as many Black women in our study were
L_____________________________________________~
64
I
separated or divorced than were the Caucasian women.
I
I
Another significant statistic was acquired while evaluating the
variable of number of children. The relationship between race and numj
ber of children showed a Chi-Square Statistic of 0. 00. It was shown
that 75% of the Black women in our study had children while the Cauca
ian women numbered only 15.9%. Our research led us to the conclusion that these startling statistics are partially due to the following:
(1) lack of funds to pay for an abortion; (2) lack of adequate knowledge
of birth control; (3) insufficient information about abortion; and (4) the
possibility of the issue of genocide.
(Weisbud, 1975)
The variable of method of payment also indicated a high degree
of significance with still another 0. 00 Chi-Square Statistic. The percentage ofJ3lack women in our study who made a payment of cash was
/
11.4%. In contrast, 54.5% of Caucasian women paid cash. A stagger-/
ing 88.6% of the Black women had their abortions paid by Medi-Cal as
l
compared to 44.5% of the Caucasian women in our study.
I
~
The statistical results of the variables involving methods of
payment are very significant because, as shown in Table 21, more than!
half the women in our sample experienced previous abortions within the
I
past three years and we hypothesize that these, too, were also paid by
1
.
Medi-Cal. The easy availability to obtain an abortion for women todayJ
I regardless
of their socio-economic background has in our opinion led
to the misuse of abortion. We feel that all too often abortion is being
I
I
I
,
used as a form of 1
birth control and the fact that abortion:
is subsidized
I by the State makes it too easily available.
l_______
In a recent article entitled: "How HEW Will Spend Abortion
!
Funds," appearing in the Los Angeles Times on April 1, 1977, the
I
I
i
i
following items were discussed: Last year Congress passed an amend-!
I
ment prohibiting Medicaid-financed abortions because they, too, felt
that abortion was becoming an alternative to birth control. The "Hyde
Amendment;• attached to the HEW Appropriation Bill, has been challeng-,
ed by pro-abortion forces who claim it denies poor women the right to I
abortion as guaranteed by the 1973 Supreme Court decision.
11:
According to Roy Morgan, Executive Director of Zero Population [
Growth, "This country desperately needs expanded family planning
women~do
1
. I
i
services so that
not have to be faced with a need to consider:
I
abortions , but family planning programs must complement, never sub-
!
stitute , for a woman's right to choose. " He suggested that referring
I
'I
I more funds to support a more effective federally funded family planning/
1
1
service would be a powerful tool in combating the epidemic number of
.
1
i
i
I
I abortions occurring. today. We strongly support his ideas and recom-
1
I mendations.
I'
I
1
We also strongly support the Department of Health, Education
and Welfare's proposal for the 1978 program called "Alternatives to
Abortion." It proposes an increase in funds for community health centers, family planning project grants, population research and demonstratton projects in sex education and research in foster care and
adoption. We view these recommendations as essential in order to
prevent vast numbers of women from experiencing unwanted pregnaneies and abortions.
1
I
I
I
-66
I
I
I
I
i
i
The experience of terminating an unwanted pregnancy by means of
1
I
Jabortion is an extremely unhappy and traumatic experience. In our joint
1
!role as abortion counselors we have witnessed the gamut of emotions
1
l
1
!experienced by most women who are receiving abortions. The most evi- I
I
I
I
!dent emotions to surface are fear, guilt, regret, sadness, resentment
Jand anger. In many cases the women also experienced tremendous relief1
,
I
IMost women whom we have seen are suffering to some degree and are
I
.
I
I
I.reeling one or more of the above- stated emotions • In the midst of all of II
I
!this suffering we again conjured the question of why? Why, at a time
I
!when contraception is readily available to all women at all levels, are
I
!women still having unwanted pregnancies?
I
Before administering our questionnaire we were unsure of the wo-
lmen•s motives for obtaining an abortion. Question No. 10 in our ques1
itionnaire asked: "What i's your reason(s) for having this abortion?.. The
II
\greater number of responses could be classified into the following cate1
lgories: (1) Age - too young, too old; (2) income - lack of sufficient
I
lfunds to support a child; (3) misuse of contraception due to lack of adelquate birth control information; (4) birth control method failed to be
effective; (5) single - felt child should not be born out of wedlock; (6)
\relationship was too unstable to withstand a child; (7) previous children
I.
\too close in age to present pregnancy, and (8) interfering with present
!
!schooling, career or plans for the future.
I'
After reviewing the contents of our study we have come to the con-:
.
I
!
!elusions that there is a mandatory need for complete sex education in all!
I
Ischools, starting at the sixth grade· level. We recommend that such a
I
61'
!
i
!course should be taught by teachers trained by persons specializing in
I
[the area of sex education. Information that must be imparted to the
II
II
II
I
lstudents includes: (1} the physiology of the human body; (2) knowledge
of the human reproductive system; (3) intercourse; (4) pregnancy; (5)
jbirth control and its proper usage; and (6) detailed abortion information
I
!with emphasis on immediacy.
i
These data could be enriched through the use of visual aids such
las films 1 film strips 1 models I. a complete display of the methods of birth'
!control and a selection of books on all the above topics and related sub- I
Ii
i
[jects.
I
i
Another important area to be included should be the discussion of
.,,
!relationships and what they involve as to commitment, feelings of love
I
land desire, responsibilities and respect for one-another. The topic. of
!homosexuality is another area that merits full consideration, understand!
ling and discussion.
I
The authors feel there are a number of characteristics and factors
fhat merit more attention in future studies. We have spent months in
!libraries attempting to locate studies dealing with prospective abortion
·I
seekers and their common• characteristics. Such studies simply do not
exist with the exception of one or two which were far too limited.
1
I
We propose that there is need for research beginning from late
I
childhood i which would allow a deeper understanding and fuller per....
I
.
lspective of the problem of women who are obtaining abortions. This
lstudy could include: (1) the relationship of the initiation and frequency
!of sexual activity; (2) the role of the sex partner, family and school; (3)
i
,,,'
/
68
I
,
I
I
i the
j
part played by larger social, ethnic, economic and political factors
;j
(4) the use and non-use of contraception; and (5) the obtaining and tim-/
I
/ ing of an abortion or having a child.
Other areas for future studies could include the psychodynamic
1
I
I characteristics
I
J
(motivation, decision-making processes, personality
factors, etc.) of abortion seekers and abortion obtainers. To date, in-
1
I
I depth measurement techniques have not been studied adequately. In
I studies of abortion-seekers there have been few attempts to study the
I
-
i causal sequences and interactions among background characteristics,
I
I psychodynamic factors, familial and educational factors and social,
I
I economi<? and political environments.
II
We trust that the findings of our study have been worthwhile and
will prove to be useful in the future prevention of unwanted
I
pregnancies~
Our fight for educating womenin-the areas of sex, pregnancy, birth
con~
I
trol and abortion has just begun. There is a need for disseminating
the II
.
!
results of this study to those who are in a position to reach politicians,!
educators and the news media. It is hoped they will be impressed with
.·
1
I
I
our findings and will help implement and support all future levels of sex!
I
I education.
I
I
I
I
I
I
L
I
1-
BIBUOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES
J
I
\Ashe, Christy.
IApril, -19 74.
"Abortion •••• or Genocide?" Liberator, 57: 41-45,
.I
American Psychological Association. APA Publication Manual. APA ·
Baltimore,
Maryland,
19
76.
1
i
\Ary, Jacobs, et. al. Introduction to Research. New York: Holt, Rine1 hart and Winston, Inc., 19 72.
. .
!
.
Barnes, Allan C. Therapeutic Abortion in California. New York: Me
Graw Hill Book Company, 1969.
1
1
)
Begue, Donald J. Sexuality, Birth Control and Abortion. New Jersey:
Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1971.
'I
IBerelson, Bernard et. al. "Family Planning and Population Programs,"
,Proceedings of the International Conference on Family Planning Prolgrams, Geneva, August 1970, Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
!1970.
.
I,
'
----
1
I
!Best, John W. Research in Education. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.,l
11970.
r
I
I
'
I
!Blake, Judith. "Abortion and Public Opinion." Science, 171:540-549
1
\April, 19 73.
1
I
!
I
.
jBoston Women's Health Book Collective. Our Bodies Ourselves. New
jYork: Simon and Schuster, 19 76.
I
\
I
isracken, Michael. "First and Repeat Abortions." Journal of Biosocial
!Science, 7:473-491, October, 1975.
i
;Calderone, Mary. "Abortion in the United States," Proceedings of
1
\Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. New York: Hoever-Har!per, 1968.
~alia
han; Daniel. Abortion:
Mac Millan, 1970. ·
Law, C boice and Morality. New York:
1I
bartwright, Ann. Parents and Family Planning Services, New York:
\Atherton, 1970.
!
I
bhampion, Phyllis. "A Pilot Study of the Success or Failure of Low In:come Negro Families in the Use of Birth Control," Sociological Contributions to Family Planning Research, Milbank Memopal Fund Quarterly,
1
[48:283-307, May, 1973.
l---------------------------------------~--~
69
70
Cohen, Marshal. The Rights and Wrongs of Abortion. Princeton, New
Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1974.
Danon, Alan. "Organizing an Abortion Service," Nursing Outlook, 21,
460-464, 1973.
.
David, Howard and Christopher Tietze. "Selected Abortion Statistics,"
Trans-National Family Research Institute International Summary, 19 7 4.
I
Erlich, Paul R. Population - Resources
- . Environment.
San Francisco:
.
.
W. H. Freeman, 1973.
~j
I
Frederickson, Harold. "Demographic Effects of Abortion," Public
Health Reports, 83:999-1010, 1972.
I
Gebhard, Paul H. Pregnancy, Birth Control and Abortion. New York:
Harper, 19 70.
Gregory, Dick.
"My Answer to Abortion," Ebony, 66-72, Oct., 1971.
Guttmacher, Alan F. "The Legal Status of Therapeutic Abortions, "
AbortioninAmerica, 18:66-72, June, 1974.
1
I
I
1
I
1
I
Hardin, Garrett. Mandatory Motherhood. Boston: Beacon Press,1974.!
Hill, Adelaide C. "Negro Fertility and Family Size Preferences: Im- J
plications for Programming of Health. and Social Services." The Negro i
American 70:2 05-24, Feb., 19 70.
I
I
Jaffe, Frederick S. "Low-Income Families: Fertility Changes in the
19 60s," Family Planning Perspectives, 4:43-47, Jan., 19 72.
Kantner, John F. "United States: Exploratory Studies of Negro Family
Formation - Common Conceptions About Birth Control," Studies in
FamilyPlanning, 47:10-13, Nov., 1971.
I
I
Lader, Lawrence. Abortion. Boston: Beacon Press, 1967.
Lader, Lawrence. Abortion II: Making the Revolution. Boston, Beacon Press, 1973.
I,
I
Ladner, Joyce A. Tomorrow's Tomorrow: The Black Woman. New York,!
/
I Doublday, 1971.
1
Lipson and Wolman. Commission on Population Growth and the Ameri-
1 canFuture, NewYork, Mac Mi!lan, 1972.
L---------------~----------
71
I
1
'!
I
Mace, David R. Abortion: The Agonizing Decision.
don Press, 1972.
/ Marder, Leon. Liberalized Therapeutic Abortion.
· Wang, 1974.
I
New York: Abing- I
New York: Hill and
I
Meyer.owit2, Ramono et. al. "Who May Not Have an Abortion,.. Journal of American Medical Association. 209:260-264, July, 1970.
Moore-Cavar, Emily C. International Inventory of Information in Indue-!
ed Abortion. Published •. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Chicago, I
1974.
Morrison, Toni. "What Black Women TP,ink About Abortion," New York ,
Times Magazine, 14,...17, Aug., 1971.
I
Kenneth.~
Niswa.n?er,
"Psychological Reaction to Therapeutic Abortion
Obstetncs and Gynecology, 29:702-6, May, 1971.
..1
.
1
Osofsky, Joy D. and Howard J. Osofsky. "The Psychological Reaction i
of Patients to Legalized Abortion," American Journal of Orthopsychiatry}
42:48-60, Jan., 1972.
I
Osofsky, Joy D. and Howard J. Osofsky.
Maryland: Harper and Row, 1973.
·T.he Abortion
I
I
Experience~.
Overstreet, Edmund W. California's Abortion Law -A Second Look.
San Francisco: Abingdon Press, 19 72.
Parsons, Talcott. The American Negro. Boston: Beacon Press, 1969.
I
II
Presser, Harriet B •. "The Timing of the First Birth Female Roles and
Black Fertility," Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly, 49:329-61, July 1
1971.
Rainwater, Lee • "The Poor Get C hi!dren, " Commission on Fam!ly
ning, Chicago, Chicago: Quadrangle Press 1970.
I
Plan~I
Robinson, Patricia L. "The Sisters Reply," Poor Black Women. Boston: New England Free Press 1 Sept. , 19 70.
I
Schulder, Kennedy et al. Abortion Rap, New York: Me Graw-Hill,
I
Se~ay, Edw.ard C. "Therapeutic Abortion,"
Lchlatry,_~}.408-15, Nov., 1970.
1
J
I
Rodman, Hyman. "The Lower-Class Value Stretch, Jl Social Forces.
42:205-15, Dec., 1963.
I
Sarvis, Betty. AbortionControversy. NewYork: Columbia Press,
I
1
1974~
I
[
1971~
Archives of General Psy-
I
I
72
I
Simon, Nathan M. "Psychological and Emotional Indications for Thera-:
peutic Abortion," Abortion, 8:73-91, Sept., 1971.
·
I
I
Steinhoff, Patricia, Smith, Roy et. al. "Characteristics and Motivations of Women Receiving Abortions," American Sociological Journal, .
61:13-22, Sept., 1972.
I
!
j
Tietze, Christopher. "Introduction to the Statistics of Abortion," E.
Engle ed., Pregnancy Wastage, Springfield: Thomas and Thomas, 1973
Tietze, Christoper and Dawson, Donald. "Induced Abortion: A- Factbook: Population Council: Reports, No. 14, 19 73.
I
......,,
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
i
I
II
APPENDIX
73
.
74:
SAN VICENTE HOSPITAL
Abortion Counseling Questionnaire
Date._·_ _ __
All information given is regarded confidential
2.
1.
Name
3.
Religion-------------
4.
How many years of schooling? (circle)
1
5.
Age_ _ _ __
----------~--~--------
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
1 2 College._ __
Single__ Married__. Separated __Widowed __
Divorced __ Living with someone __
6.
How many children do you have? __ Ages ---'--
7.
Is this your first abortion? _ __
If not 1 how many have you had including this one?
-----
8.
What is your y:e.arly income? - - - - - - - -
9.
How are you paying for this abortion? - - - - - - - - -
10.
I
What is (are) your reason (s) for having this abortion? _ _ __
I
Were you using a form of birth control when you became
pregnant? Yes__No__ If yes 1 what kind?
12.
Where did you receive your sex education?
'~·j
------'-----1
Home---
I
Did you receive adequate information about the following?
Sex__Birth C ontrol__Pregnancy__Abortion_
If you had been given a more complete sex education do you
think this abortion could have been prevented?
I
I
School __ Friend(s) __ Church_ Other __
13.
I
----
~
I
i