The article presents the results of a study on the experiences of adolescents that decided to terminate a pregnancy in the context of legal abortion services in Montevideo, Uruguay, from 2016 to 2018. The main objective was to examine the decision-making process and access to legal abortion from the perspective of the adolescent girls themselves. This involved analyzing circumstances, motives, and persons that influenced the decision and the ways this was handled in the health services. A cross-sectional, exploratory, and descriptive study was designed, based on a qualitative methodology. The main technique used for collecting the information was a semi-structured interview with 14 adolescents 17 to 19 years of age who had voluntarily terminated a pregnancy in public healthcare services. The motives for the abortion reveal the weight of socially accepted reasons, incorporated as their own. The interviews showed that the adolescent’s mother plays an important role as the reference for the decision. The adolescents reported that they had made the decision to have the abortion before going to the health service. The results highlight the positive role of a legal framework that enables voluntary abortion services. The results help understand the experiences of adolescents facing a difficult life decision, the family’s role, particularly that of the adolescent’s mother, the legal framework’s place in the decision, the weight of stigma and moral sanctions, and expectations towards care in health services.
Keywords:
Adolescence; Abortion; Decision Making; Health Services