Chapter 7 164 yeah, if we both completely stand behind it, then there's actually nothing that, yeah, shouldn't go well now." (Participant 1) Seven expectant mothers considered being in a stable relationship to be an important reason for pregnancy; the possibility of becoming a single mother was seen as very negative. The role of a supporting partner was specifically discussed by participants as an extrinsic factor that influenced the decision-making process. "[…] I would never want to do this alone. Like if I was unexpectedly pregnant and I wasn't in a relationship. Yeah. with someone who I would feel confident having a child with, like I would have had an abortion, no question." (Participant 4) The decision to maintain or abort the pregnancy was mostly made with the partner. This was illustrated by participant 7, who repeatedly used the ‘we’ form when discussing the decision. "And then, um, yeah, then we had decided to keep it. Um, and we both stood behind that decision as well." (Participant 7) This view was shared by participant 6. By her recurrent use of the ‘we’ form, she illustrates how the process of becoming pregnant was a process for which she took responsibility together with her partner. "[…] So, it's 100% on us. It's like, […] we are adults, we are smart. We know what could have happened, right? So, it's like, so in this sense, it was no one's fault or like ehh, no one did anything by purpose or whatever. It's just, yeah, we just, we were just not careful enough." (Participant 6) This was at odds with the experience of participant 8, who felt pressured in her decision to maintain pregnancy. Her partner’s wish was to maintain pregnancy as the dominant argument in her decision-making process. "My decision to keep it wasn’t really my own. It was more, I think, fear, that if it ever did come out that would be something unforgivable to my husband." (Participant 8) However, in a different manner, participant 7 joins in the impact of the partner’s perspective. She would not want to force the pregnancy on her partner and could only pursue the pregnancy with his consent.
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