The Place of Contraception and Abortion in the Lives of Samoan Women
Authors:   , Faasalele Tanuvasa Ausaga Epho 
Published: July 2022

<p>This thesis presents a research study which explored contraception and abortion in the lives of forty Samoan women living in Porirua, New Zealand. The Samoan women were invited to share their stories based on reflection of their experiences both individually and in women's groups. The study is grounded in Samoanisi (Samoan) ways of knowing. It was shaped by my position as an indigenous Samoan woman and nurse who trained in 1970 in nursing and is currently living in New Zealand. A Samoanisi methodology has been developed in this research to tell Samoan women's stories. The tanoa/kava bowl model emerged from initial discussions, as a medium of conversation and education, during the research. It was developed as a method which enabled the women to powerfully surface the deeper meaning of their ideas in their own language. A further development of the methodology occurred in model form termed 'the eyes of the people'. This model enabled me to explore the process of thinking and exploring in images closely aligned to Samoan culture. The research project using this model enabled me to listen to Samoan women with an awareness of how they construct and reveal meaning in their lives. Each Samoan woman's story was maintained as a whole text in either the Samoan and/or English language. The stories have been edited and presented in the thesis in a readable style. Messages conveyed by the women were identified and grouped into key messages and analysed to draw out the main themes. The stories of four New Zealand born women were compared to four Samoan born women using an indepth content analysis. The findings showed that the majority of the Samoan women in the study opposed contraception, as it is not part of Samoan culture. Samoan women do not use abortion as a method of fertility control. The study reveals how Samoan family infrastructure has a great impact on Samoan women's choices. However, the study also showed a tension is created by policies of the predominant Papalagi (Western) culture in New Zealand, which challenges many Samoan women's way of including the family in the decision making in their health needs. The main issue that emerged from this research was the need for discussion and education for the whole family related to sexuality which embraces contraception" abortion, Samoan values, traditional methods of birth knowledge, and the concept of Samoan whole being. There is a critical and immediate need for research into the efficacy of Samoan traditional/indigenous methods of contraception and women's knowledge. There is a need for discussions between Samoan women/families and health professionals to develop policies that will sensitively consider the high abortion rate of Samoan/Pacific Island women. The Samoan women indicated that they need to feel safe, secure, and supported by their own families and the community of Samoan people, to maintain their dignity. Further testing of the evolved methodology developed in this study could be used for research in other areas the women indicated affected their health.</p>