Despite the widespread use of medical contraception (the pill and IUDs), the rate of abortion has remained stable since 1975. This should not lead us to conclude that contraception has had no effect on abortion rates. The authors demonstrate that the decision to have an abortion is a process resulting from a sequence of events. Unplanned pregnancies do not occur under the same circumstances as before. It is as if the new reproductive norm and changing socio-emotional trajectories are combining to increase the likelihood of having an abortion in the event of an unplanned pregnancy.