The situations where a parent or guardian intervened in the decisionmaking process were 

when the boy did not acknowledge the pregnancy, or when the couple disagreed on whether to 

terminate the pregnancy. In the latter case, the parents or guardians were brought in when the girl 

wanted to give birth and the boyfriend or husband wanted to terminate the pregnancy. Parents or 

guardians also entered into the decisionmaking process when the girl completely depended on 

them and the boyfriend was unable to provide enough support. Bringing the parents in did not 

always result in the girl's wishes being followed.  

Sometimes the parents insisted that the girl have an abortion if that was what the 

boyfriend wanted. When the parents were significantly involved in the decisionmaking process, 

two thirds of the time they insisted on giving birth, and a third of the time they opted for 

abortion. Usually, after a girl had one child, the parents were less involved with decisions about 

subsequent pregnancies. However, the girls usually hid the pregnancies they planned to terminate 

from their parents, even after they were married. The girls who lived with madams seemed to 

have less choice about terminating or continuing a pregnancy, unless their boyfriends were able 

to support them. 

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