Women's existential experiences within Swedish abortion care

Abstract

Objective. To explore Swedish women's experiences of clinical abortion care in relation to their need for existential support.

Methods. Individual in-depth interviews with 24 women with previous experience of unwanted pregnancy and abortion. Participants were recruited between 2006 and 2009. Interviews were analysed by latent content analysis.

Findings. Although the women had similar experiences of the abortion care offered, the needs they expressed differed. Swedish abortion care was described as rational and neutral, with physical issues dominating over existential ones. For some women, the medical procedures triggered existential experiences of life, meaning, and morality. While some women abstained from any form of existential support, others expressed a need to reflect upon the existential aspects and/or to reconcile their decision emotionally.

Conclusion. As women's needs for existential support in relation to abortion vary, women can be disappointed with the personnel's ability to respond to their thoughts and feelings related to the abortion. To ensure abortion care personnel meet the physical, psychological and existential needs of each patient, better resources and new lines of education are needed to ensure abortion personnel are equipped to deal with the existential aspects of abortion care.

Keywords:

• Abortion
• psychological wellbeing
• women's health
• existential support
• existential experience

Acknowledgements

The study is a part of a centre of excellence program at Uppsala University, Sweden: Impact of Religion: Challenges to Society, Law and Democracy. The project was supported by the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research (FAS).

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.