Hindsight and the abortion experience: what abortion means to women years later

This article provides views on abortion by demonstrating women's retrospective accounts of their abortion experiences. Women's accounts of their abortion experiences are socially constructed both at the time of the abortion and in subsequent years in their lives. Some women reflect on their past abortion as the right decision; however, some also feel varying degrees of pain, grief, and loss. Many view their abortions as mistakes. Profiles of four women are presented in this article to provide several critical points on a continuum pertaining to study participants' retrospective satisfaction with an abortion experience. Based on the profiles, various emotional reactions are possible to occur after abortion and those retrospective interpretations of the experience change as personal growth and circumstances prompt women to reflect about the original experience. It was also documented that the satisfied group in the study was the one composed of women still involved with the partner with whom they became pregnant. With an open conversation on the emotional effects of abortion, women will be able to help inform and transform politicized abortion debates.