Clementine Rossier has posted Abortion: An Open Secret? Abortion and Social Network Involvement in Burkina Faso, Reproductive Health Matters, Vol. 15, No. 30, pp. 230-238, November 2007, on SSRN. Here is the abstract:
Abortion in Burkina Faso is a subjectthat neither abortion providers nor women want to talk about. Abortionproviders fear criminal prosecution; women’s silence is dictated moreby the wish to avoid the stigma of a shameful pregnancy….What prompts women and providers toreveal something they want to be kept totally secret, and how do womenkeep their abortion secret while nevertheless talking to others aboutit? The study found that young women in Burkina Faso are impelled totalk to their boyfriends, friends and in fewer cases women relativesabout their unplanned pregnancy, first to decide to have an abortionand then to get help in finding a clandestine provider.