I found a link to a study, which I posted, then I went back and edit my post. Sorry for any confusion. I just thought we needed statistics on this issue from an institute that surveyed a random group of women, rather than individual testimonies. I'm sure it happens, just in this day and age I like facts.
Edited to add: The statement surprised me. I've never had one, and have only personally known two women who have. Both of them were in loving, committed relationships. They just could not afford children. And Judge Judy sure showcases a lot of single "baby mommies"!
Thanks. I understand now.
Surveys have their own built-in errors. Only certain types of people will answer surveys, for starters. Then there is the training of the surveyors themselves - are they taking the time to get the most honest answers possible and how skilled are they at getting a person to talk about such a personal subject without asking leading questions?
Surveys also must make an effort to address different ethnic, economic and age groups in order to be representative of the entire population, since surveys only question a relatively small number of people. Any survey that does not provide a breakdown of its findings by these groups/populations should be considered suspect as not representative of the larger population.
Surveys can also be skewed toward what the originator wants the survey to show.
I didn't read the entire survey, but from what I did read, it lumped some extremely different reasons together as a group and appeared to have pre-stated answers to the questions (i.e., respondents answer A, B, C or D). That would indicate survey bias to me.
If I really wanted to know why women get abortions, I would:
1) Survey every woman walking into any abortion clinic in an entire area,
2) Ask if this was a repeat abortion,
3) Find out the age, ethnicity and income bracket,
4) Ask a person's religious beliefs and if they felt there was a conflict. If so, if the religion condoned or prohibited the practice,
5) Ask the person about partner and family views about the abortion,
6) Make note of the person accompanying the woman getting an abortion and if this person seemed to be pushing the woman into it,
7) Ask the woman's reason as an open question, not as a multiple choice response.
I think that sort of survey would get some eye-popping answers and also some consistency of religions (i.e., scientology) and show a disproportionate number of young women in middle or higher income brackets who don't want their education interrupted, but might as easily say that their parents would disown them or worse if they left college due to pregnancy.