| Abstract: | The analysis of the reproductive behaviour of married Jewish women seeking abortions in a hospital in Israel, summarized here, indicates that fertility and its control, for these women and their husbands, was often judged on a dimension of ‘natural’-‘artificial,’ where ‘natural’ was the valued pole. Representatives of the medical profession, who de facto controlled access to effective contraceptives, often either intentionally or unintentionally undermined couples’ attempts to control their fertility effectively, and gave support to suspicions regarding the dangers in ‘artificial’ medical contraception. The result, for these women, was unwanted and intolerable pregnancy and request for abortion. Abortion, by medical intervention, reinforced the sense that complete control of fertility was impossible; by further contributing toward their feeling of helplessness, it may also have discouraged couples from changing their contraceptive behaviour. |
