POG 00010 The Meanings of the Notion ’Desire for a Child.’ Some Considerations Based on an Empirical Study of 400 Patients Applying for Legal Abortion

Abstract

In this article, the notions ‘family planning’ and ‘desire for a child,’ which represent key concepts in the present discussion about the pregnant woman and her possible conflicts, are discussed and the problems formulated. On closer examination, with regard to cultural history and depth psychology, these notions prove to be insufficiently differentiated and inappropriate for an adequate description of the attitudes of a mother towards her unborn child. This is illustrated by some results of an empirical study of abortion patients.