No abstract

Since the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, numerous states have passed or considered laws requiring a woman notify her spouse before an abortion. These laws presume that substantial numbers of women do not inform their spouses of their intentions and that frequency of abortions would radically reduce were women so required. This manuscript discusses the major court decisions pertaining to spousal notification. Because expert witnesses give only suggestive evidence that substantial numbers of women would be affected by such laws, data from a random sample stratified by year for 1,004 married women who aborted between 1978 and 1982 at a major clinic in St. Louis, Missouri, are presented. Findings suggest that fewer than 1 in 20 women do not voluntarily notify their husbands. Almost all who report they informed their husbands say their husbands agreed with their decision. What differentiates women who did and did not voluntarily notify their husbands is explored and clear distinctions emerge. Notifiers proved an extremely homogeneous group and non‐notifiers extremely heterogeneous. Expectations of spousal support of the decision and notification of parents significantly predict husband notification. Although non‐notification appears due to various factors, nearly all husbands offer significant support to their wives' decisions.