Abortion and contraception behavior in Macedonia: discourse and reasons

Vera Dimitrievska, University of Groningen
Inge Hutter, University of Groningen
Pieter Boele van Hensbroek, University of Groningen

Introduction: Women who use abortion in Macedonia as a contraceptive method are special group that require more focused investigation. The principal objectives of the study are: 1)To gain insight on the discourse among women, men and key informants from different cultural groups about abortion and contraception behavior, 2) To understand the social and cultural context regarding the abortion and contraception; how is embedded in the economic and political background, 3) To understand (mapping) the process of reasoning (decision-making) about the abortion and contraception behavior among the women. Methods: Focus groups and in-depth interviews with women who had abortions, in-depth interviews with men and key informants. Transcripts will be coded and analyzed.Themes will be categorized into domains. Conclusions: Using the findings it will be given certain recommendations that will serve as a basis for prevention of unintended pregnancies.