GRSJ224/The Role of Outside Influences in Personal Reproductive Choice

Outside influences play a significant role in reproductive choice, contrary to popular belief. There are several external factors that play into a woman’s right to choose; a few being religion, tradition, economic constraints, and the concept of traditional motherhood. Following the ruling and administration of Roe V. Wade, the West has been torn on issues of abortion and birth control as they arrived into public light. Several different cultures and worldwide communities, although different, have an influence on Western factors, especially in immigrant populations. A woman’s decision fluctuates and is largely determined by some of these factors What strategies do women employ in their negotiations with parents, husbands or partners, health providers, and the larger community over reproductive and sexual matters? What role do economic constraints, religion, tradition, motherhood, and group participation play in shaping their decisions.

Religion

The role that religion plays in personal choice is one that is largely spearheaded by the notion of religious texts’ teachings. Most religious beliefs strongly attest to the belief that all life is sacred. Therefore, many people believe that contraceptives and abortion goes against God's rules, devaluing human life. Religious beliefs play an important role in determining one's morals, thus affecting their stance on abortion and other birth control methods as well .

Christianity

There are strong “pro-family” traditions that exist within many communities. Generally, Catholics and Protestants are the least supportive of abortion rights than any other American religious group. This is largely due to bible scripture, moral principle, and the threatening of proper gender roles as it encourages women to cultivate careers and focus less on the home.

Society

Pre-marital Pregnancy

Societal and gender roles influence decision from their deeply ingrained value system that have evolved into everyday norms and biases. In many communities, pre-marital pregnancy is condemned, fundamentally due to its history of intense family disapproval. These negative attitudes largely reflected financial standing: it was considered “an absolute family disaster” among the upper class; and a severe transgression in middle-class families, in which many cases parents often insisted their daughter marry the father of their child . Consequently, in the 1950s, the rate of premarital pregnancy dropped and was miniscule. This may not be the case today in many Western communities however, the stigma of out-of-wedlock or teenage pregnancy remains.

Economic Constraints

Despite the findings that exhibit that an individual’s stance on abortion varies largely on their liberal or conservative status, factors such as income, age, and employment also play a significant role . Economic constraints can prevent women from choosing the option of pregnancy or even advanced forms of birth control, depending on their coverage. Furthermore, financial hardship has been linked to having negative implications on a newborn child’s health compared to babies that were reared in a well-off home . In turn, lack of proper financial backing may lead a woman to choose an alternative to pregnancy such as abortion or adoption for the sake of their future child’s health.

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