Recently, African Population and Health Research Centre released a report that showed that the number of abortion cases continue to rise, even though the numbers of unintended pregnancies have reduced. The research shows that between 2023 and 2024 (the period which the study was conducted), 792,694 women aborted.

Contrary to the “belief” that abortion is for young and single women who are considered promiscuous and sexually irresponsible, the study shows that more married women sought abortion compared to any other group of women.

These finding shocked the country with many people questioning why would a married woman seek abortion. Here are 10 possible reasons of why married women are procuring abortion.

Economic hardship

With the current status of economy pushing many people to the wall, most married women have cited financial instability and tough economy as the key reason for seeking abortion. Raising a child requires money for food, healthcare, education, and other essentials. If a family is already raising more than two children, the burden of economy is already heavy on them.

In households already struggling to meet daily needs, an additional child may feel like an unmanageable burden. An additional child will force this family to stretch their resources more than they can afford. In such scenarios, provision of needs even the basic ones might become a challenge.

Failed contraceptives, sexual abuse

Many will argue that in the era of family planning which are easily accessible and readily available everywhere, the story of unplanned or unintended pregnancy should be a thing of the past. But, have you ever asked yourself on whether contraceptives are 100 per cent when it comes to preventing pregnancy, or there is even a slight chance of it failing.

APRHC’s senior research officer Kenneth Juma says due to many reasons such as cultural barriers, inaccessible health facilities, spouse interference, health concerns, among others reasons, make it impossible for a married woman to access or acquire contraceptives, and that can lead to unplanned pregnancy.

Also, there are instances where a woman is sexually abused and conceives from that incident. What is she expected to do? In such cases, these women may opt for abortion, especially if they already have several children.

Spousal neglect or abuse

The current status of marriage looks cloudy and shaky. Every day, reports of a woman walking out of their marriage due to domestic violence or infidelity have been hitting the social media platforms.

With this in mind, when a woman who is already in a dysfunctional marriage gets pregnant, their first thoughts will be to avoid worsening the situation and aborting might be one of their solution.

When a woman whose future looks bleaks due to uncertainities is presented with no option, it’s very likely for them to take the easiest route out, even though with a heavy heart. Without emotional or financial support from their husbands, continuing with the pregnancy may feel unsafe or unsustainable.

Health risks

Its written in one of the religious books that whenever a woman is pregnant, one of their legs is inside a grave, while the other one remains in the world. This is because, when a woman is pregnant, her health and life is at risk due to many factors such as complications like pre-eclampsia, heart disease, or gestational diabetes. With that in mind, some women prefer not risking their lives, and instead opt to procure abortion as a medical necessity, especially when advised by healthcare providers.

Partner opposition

There are cases where a married couple disagree on pregnancy, maybe due to the existing economic challenges or in some cases, husbands do not want another child and pressure their wives into terminating the pregnancy. Some women may also choose abortion to maintain harmony in a strained or unstable relationship.

Mental health concerns

Not everyone receives news on pregnancy the same by everyone. While some receive it with excitement, for others, such news is more of a heartbreak, thereby causing them mental breakdown. Juma says for women who have a history of postpartum depression or other mental health issues, pregnancy may be a trigger for another sequence of breakdown episode. Others may be afraid of harming their children with their mental instability. Some choose abortion to protect their emotional and psychological well-being, especially if they lack mental health support.

Fear of job loss or career disruption

In the current world of unemployment, pregnancy is perceived as an obstacle for a woman to deliver her work effectively. Some employers feel child bearing is an obstacle to maximum performance and therefore prefer women with no children or those whose children are of certain age. Employed married women may fear losing their jobs or missing promotions due to maternity leave or childcare responsibilities, especially in environments with limited support for working mothers.

“This means, a woman who gets pregnant in such a company is likely to lose their job or they may remain stagnant in their career. And if that job means everything to the said woman, then they are likely to make difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy,” Juma says.

Pregnancy after a recent childbirth
Research shows that new mothers, or women who just gave birth are likely to conceive again within three weeks after giving birth. This is because ovulation can occur before menstruation returns. This means that while a woman may not have her period yet, she can still be fertile and ovulate, making pregnancy possible before her menstrual cycle fully resumes.

With a newborn already, having another newborn on the way could sounds more confusing especially to the mother. This might then make the mother seek abortion. In some communities, pregnancies soon after childbirth or outside the “expected” family timeline attract social criticism, even within marriage. Fear of shame or gossip can push women toward abortion

Lack of family planning education

Researcher Juma says some couples, especially in rural areas, lack proper education on contraceptives, fertility cycles, and reproductive choices. When pregnancies occur due to misinformation or myths, abortion is sometimes seen as the only solution.

Desire for smaller families

Changing social values mean more couples prefer smaller, well-planned families. In a marriage, if a couple already has the desired number of children, any additional pregnancy will be perceived as unwanted, thereby, may be terminated to preserve quality of life.