Resumen : Opposition to legal abortion has continued despite the passage of law in the late 1970s to legitimate abortion clinics. The Catholic Church is the primary antagonist to family planning and legal abortion. A study of legal abortion initiated in 1991 provided data on 10 private abortion clinics and 371 women receiving services. Preliminary findings were released at the same time as an initiative to amend the Penal Code to limit the right to abortion. Controversy over the proposed amendments arose, and the study researchers at PRO MUJER, the Women's Studies Project at the University of Puerto Rico, distributed their findings as widely as possible to schools and universities, scientific bodies, and other entities. The resistance to abortion became evident. The findings showed that 96% of abortions occurred during the first trimester of pregnancy, which conflicted with anti-abortion propaganda. Most of the women seeking abortions were religious and had made the decision jointly with their partners. The population was aged over 20 years, and most had one or more children. The population was married, divorced, or widowed. The unintended pregnancies happened through failure of the contraceptive method chosen: 50% through periodic abstinence or withdrawal. Two major reasons for abortion decisions were economic difficulties and lack of facilities for caring for a newborn baby. The mothers reflected a group that was conscientious and responsible in their approach to motherhood. The study women were unaware of the legality of abortion, the availability of abortion facilities, or the variation in prices for abortion among facilities. The Family Planning Division of the Department of Health in 1992 conducted another study which found that 60% of pregnant women who used the public health system did not intend their pregnancies. PRO MUJER authors thought that the lack of sex education and access to family planning were key factors in the incidence of unwanted pregnancies. The Catholic Church posture against abortion and family planning was also blamed.
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