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Cuadernos de la Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy
On-line version ISSN 1668-8104
Abstract
CLIMENT, Graciela Irma. Social representations about pregnancy and abortion in the adolescence: viewpoint of pregnant adolescents. Cuad. Fac. Humanid. Cienc. Soc., Univ. Nac. Jujuy [online]. 2009, n.37, pp.221-242. ISSN 1668-8104.
Adolescent pregnancy is often considered a problem, although it is frequently looked for and accepted by adolescents. Therefore, it may o may no be represented as a problem. The objective of this paper is to show social representations about pregnancy and abortion in adolescence from the viewpoint of pregnant adolescents. 45 open interviews were conducted with these adolescents in a public hospital in 2004. Most of them state that "many girls get pregnant in their adolescence". One fourth of them considers that it is a problem and one half thinks it is so for some cases: when they have no means of support, they did not seek it, they are too young, they have no partner; the baby's parents use drugs, they have no family support. But for more than half of them "in their case" it is not a problem. Two thirds of the adolescents interviewed "blame" the girls for behaviors that they consider unacceptable and with which they do not identify themselves: girls get pregnant because "they are careless", "they do not think", "they have a crush on a boy", "they only want to have sex". Half of them think the reasons are "being in love " or "wanting to have children" and identify themselves with these reasons. Several girls think it is because of lack of information and difficult family relations. Pregnancy is viewed as something natural and normal and they consider prevention would depend on individual decisions. Most of them think that "many girls decide to interrupt their pregnancy". Abortion appears as unacceptable and dangerous. These and other representations crossed over by the social context and gender socialization- should be considered in preventive actions.
Keywords : Abortion; Adolescent pregnancy; Social representations.
