Abstract
Women who choose abortion often feel troubled about the loss of life involved and fear social stigmatization.
Consequently, many have trouble discussing their experiences and feelings, and grieve in isolation. We interviewed
three women who had experienced abortion at least two years before, when they were unmarried and aged about
twenty, to investigate their feelings and what the experience of abortion meant for the women concerned. Using the
Trajectory Equifinality Model (TEM), we analyzed the diversity of abortion experiences, which were influenced by
social expectations and relations with others, including partners, from when the women first discovered that they were
pregnant until the present. Most were initially tormented by a sense of sinfulness for having chosen to have the
abortion, and felt guilty about the effect it would have on their partners. Consequently, they found it difficult to talk
about their experiences to others and to receive support. With time, however, their feelings changed, and they came to
accept both the pregnancy and the abortion as important experiences in their lives.
