coercion

Coercion: Understanding its impact on Pregnancy Decisions

Coercion

Over my years of working at Mea Centre I have heard many stories from women, before, during and after their pregnancy of the pressures they felt when they were making their pregnancy decision. Many have commented that they had family members, friends, their partner, school counsellors and even health care professionals who were telling them they should choose one option over the other. Such a situation, where someone tries to influence a pregnancy decision, is referred to as coercion. Coercion can take many different forms and can be challenging to detect.