Abstract

PIP: The French law legalizing abortion provided for a meeting between patient and social counselor prior to the intervention. Aim of this provision was to allow a women to see more clearly into herself, and to allow a social worker to help the patient make a personal and wise decision. Most women come to this encounter with feelings of guilt, anxiety, and depression; most of them want abortion because they know they can have one, and medical reasons for abortion are practacally nonexistant. The emotional situation of the couple, more than their socioeconomic condition, does have a great importance in making a final decision. A discussion can sometimes help, but the responsibility of the decision is with the women's alone.