Meaning of Unintended Pregnancy Sample Clauses

Meaning of Unintended Pregnancy. Generally, unintended pregnancies were described as pregnancies that happen when they are not wanted, or are unexpected, mistimed, or unplanned. Moreover, these pregnancies were considered accidental pregnancies. If a woman wished to prevent childbirth altogether but conceives, the pregnancy was described as unwanted. On the other hand, unexpected, accidental, mistimed, and unplanned were described similarly. These terms were explained interchangeably as a pregnancy that occurs without prior planning or agreement with the partner, or that happen suddenly when the individuals did not expect it. Mistimed pregnancies, defined as pregnancies that do not occur at the desired time, were part of this similar group of unintended pregnancies. The participants reported that the meaning of “earlier than desired” varies among and within couples. There was no standard duration for timeliness, as this was individualized. For instance, if the desired time interval between births was four years, if the pregnancy was conceived any time before the four years, then to that couple the pregnancy was considered mistimed. Participants also reported that generally these pregnancies are regarded as a woman’s fault, apart from instances of rape. However, few participants did not seem to agree with categorizing and describing pregnancy intention. To them, the goal of having sexual intercourse is to procreate; therefore, the pregnancy should not be described as unintended, even if the persons did not desire it. Consequently, once a man and a woman agree to have sexual intimacy, pregnancy should be an expectation. These participants acknowledged pregnancies as unintended if conceived from rape or coercion because the woman is forced; she did not wish to have sex. Coerced sexual intimacy or rape was described to be particularly common among the financially disadvantaged, where women are sexually victimized in exchange for money or materials. The quotations below depict a focus group participant explaining that pregnancy cannot be unintended: FGD3 P1 (adult male): “ We have been hearing the words unintended pregnancy from