Pregnancy, Abortion, and Motherhood: Does Disability Matter?

Abstract

Women with disabilities are classified as “risky” mothers and are encouraged by healthcare providers to not have children. Societal notions about who are appropriate mothers create barriers for women with disability who desire to have children. This study focuses on motherhood and pregnancy as one facet of WWD’s lived experiences. Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth, which included a sample size of 11,285 women, I analyze the effect of having a disability on attitudes about motherhood and likelihood of having ever pregnancy, and ever receiving an abortion. In contrast to previous studies (Horner-Johnson et. al. 2016; Shandra et. al. 2014), analyses show that women with disabilities are less likely to agree that having children are necessary to be happy compared to able-bodied women. Women with disabilities had 1.45 times the odds of ever having had an abortion compared to able-bodied women. Having a disability was found to not be a significant predictor of pregnancy or utilization of fertility services.