Itineraries of solitude: clandestine abortion among adolescents in a favela in Rio de Janeiro's South Zone, Brazil

Abstract

This article presents the results of a qualitative study based on semi-structured in-depth interviews with ten adolescents, aged between 15 and 17 years, who live in a favela in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and who had experienced an illegal abortion between the ages of 12 and 17. We sought to examine more effectively the issue of abortion in adolescence and the strategies employed by adolescents in order to have an abortion within an illegal context. We unveiled the methods that were used, the locations where abortions took place and the manner in which the process of having an abortion happened. The abortions took place at clandestine clinics; at the apartment of a partner's friend; and using the medication "Cytotec" (misoprostol). The values paid for the abortion ranged between BRL 500.00 and BRL 2,500.00 and all took place without the knowledge or participation of the adolescents' legal guardians. One adolescent had to seek out a health service due to complications from the abortion. Informants relied on friends and/or partners and almost all were alone when they had their abortions, which should motivate a reflection regarding the risks taken and the solitude experienced by these adolescents in order to undergo an unsafe and illegal act. We conclude that the study of abortion at this life stage makes an important contribution to understanding sexuality and reproduction in adolescence.