How Good Relationships Stop Abortions

Have you ever stopped to think about why abortions happen? A recent study from the Guttmacher institute gives us a glimpse into the minds of these women and it also shows how we can minister to them more effectively.

In the study, the researchers found “The decision to have an abortion is typically motivated by multiple, diverse and interrelated reasons. The themes of responsibility to others and resource limitations, such as financial constraints and lack of partner support, recurred throughout the study.”

If you break that statement down, you begin to see a common problem. In the first sentence, we see that the decision is “motivated by multiple, diverse, and interrelated reasons.” What the study found was that women will have an abortion for different reasons, but almost all of those reasons come down to one particular common thread that runs through all of their decisions – a bad relationship situation.

The number one reason cited for having an abortion is that “it would interfere with a woman’s education, work or ability to care for dependents.” According to the study, 74% of the women gave this response. Each of these reasons is typically associated with the issue of being a single mom. Given that single mothers with dependent children have the highest rate of poverty in the US, you begin to understand the desperation these women feel.

In the study, 73% of the respondents said that they could not afford a baby now. Another 48% said they didn’t want to be a single mother or they were having relationship problems. Many of the young women said they weren’t ready to become a mother (often because of finances, lack of support, and little hope for the future). While older women focused on their responsibilities to their current children. They didn’t want to impoverish the children they already had any further.

Looking through all of these reasons, one thing is clear. The lack of solid relationships is at the core of the vast majority of abortions. Women without a supportive husband are far more likely to have an abortion. It seems obvious, but at the North Georgia Pregnancy and Family Resource Center, we’re seeing the repercussions of bad or non-existent relationships every day. And it’s not just the women.

One couple recently came into the Center. The boyfriend had a terrible relationship with his father. After some counseling, the young man reached out to his dad, asked to meet him at a nearby restaurant, and the two talked. The young man quickly realized he had made the situation into something far worse than it actually was. Simply talking through the issues helped the two restore their relationship.

By helping the young man work through this relationship, he’s now in a better situation to keep the relationship with his pregnant girlfriend growing and moving toward a healthy marriage. He’s learning how to handle conflict effectively. And, the baby is safe and more likely to thrive with two invested parents.

The North Georgia Pregnancy and Family Resource Center stands on the power of the Gospel to transform these lives and wants to help them see the truth of the Scriptures for salvation and for better relationships. With the help of our partners, we’re meeting far more needs in this area than we ever have before.