SOCI 365 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Unintended Pregnancy, Ectopic Pregnancy, Therapeutic Abortion
5 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Lecture 19 – February 26th
Unintended Pregnancy and Abortion in Canada (Rebekah Lewis)
• Legal status of abortion in Canada
o Legal for 30 years (1988)
o Different phases of abortion legality
o Common law legal: available, mostly herbal, midwives, pharmacists etc. legal
until quickening (early 2nd tri—when the kids moves)
o Then: illegal to provide and obtain an abortion (1869-1969)
o Gradual liberalization (1969-87)
o Illegal, unsafe abortionsprotests
▪ Therapeutic abortion committees: women could petition for legal
abortions in a hospital based on need
o Now: no national law restricting abortion
▪ Paradigm shift: abortion as legal issue to medical/public health issue
▪ No national laws—administered province to province
• One of the only unrestricted countries
• Unintended pregnancy
o Unwanted at any time or occurred sooner than planned (mistimed)
o In Canada: 27-40% are unintended
o Outcomes of unintended pregnancy
▪ 44% abortion (elective)
▪ 46% live birth
▪ 10% ectopic pregnancy/miscarriage
o High rates because:
▪ Discrepancies in sexual health education
• No sex ed in Quebec for 10 years
▪ Think in context of a lifespan
• Typical Canadian woman: 2 kids, 30 years of contraception
• 7 in 10 15-44 yea- old women are sexually active and don’t
want to be pregnant
• 99% use some form of contraception
• Unintended pregnancy
o What are reasons for misuse or nonuse of contraception?
o Method issues, user issues, structural issues
▪ Method: even with perfect use, not 100% effective
• Best available option—not a positive choice
o Hard to have perfect use over time (condoms and
pills—most common and particularly hard)
▪ See slide
o Use issues: contraceptive compliance
▪ See slide
• Incorrect perception of low risk pregnancy
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