Medical versus Surgical Abortion: The Importance of Women’s Choice

Caroline Moreau, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)
James Trussell, Princeton University
Julie Desfreres, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)

This paper explores the factors associated with the type of abortion technique and draws particular attention to the influence of women’s preferences in the decision making process. Methods The data are drawn from a nationally representative survey of 8,245 abortion patients in France in 2007. Analyses were performed among the 4,357 women identified as being eligible for the two abortion techniques. Results Sixty seven percent of women underwent a medical abortion among those who were eligible for both techniques. The type of abortion technique was not dependent on women’s socio-demographic characteristics. Conversely, women’s participation in the decision making process was strongly associated with the type of abortion method: 83.3% of women who were given a choice had a medical procedure versus 50.3% of those who were not offered a choice. Conclusion Women participating in the decision about the abortion technique show a strong preference for the medical procedure.