Little research tackles healthcare providers’ experiences in conducting pre-abortion counselling sessions in circumstances where pregnant persons may request an abortion. We report on a study conducted in South Africa, in which two nurses and two counsellors were asked about how they conduct these counselling sessions. Using a synthetic narrative approach, we present these health workers’ micro-narratives about their motivations for providing abortion services, the purpose of the counselling, their information-giving practices, and whether and how third parties are included in the counselling. We highlight how these micro-narratives are premised on discursive resources that problematise unintended pregnancy and abortion. These resources enable and justify directive counselling that undermines pregnant peoples’ reproductive autonomy. We locate such directiveness within dominant anti-abortion discourse and call for training to reframe normative understandings of abortion.

很少有研究涉及医疗保健提供者在孕妇可能要求堕胎的情况下进行堕胎前咨询会议的经验。我们报告了在南非进行的一项研究，其中询问了两名护士和两名辅导员如何进行这些辅导课程。我们使用综合叙事方法呈现这些卫生工作者关于他们提供堕胎服务的动机、咨询的目的、他们提供信息的做法以及第三方是否以及如何参与咨询的微观叙事。我们强调了这些微观叙事如何以对意外怀孕和堕胎提出问题的话语资源为前提。这些资源支持并证明了损害孕妇生育自主权的指导性咨询是合理的。