PIP: 300 abortion seekers were interviewed to investigate the causes leading to interruption of pregnancy, and the characteristics of the women themselves. 19% were below 20, and 10% below 18 years of age; 26% were immigrants from the south of Italy, and most had a very low educational and socioeconomic status. About 30% were housewives, and 57% were married. 90% of partners were favorable to the intervention, while the great majority of parents did not know about it. Socioeconomic reasons were given more often for the request of abortion. 67.7% of interventions were performed after the 8th week of pregnancy; 93% of women declared they would have seeked abortion any way, even if it had not been legal. The most used contraceptive method at the time of conception was coitus interruptus; the pill or the IUD were used by only 1.5% of women, while 25% did not use any form of contraception.