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Schaffer and Pine present clinical material from in-depth interviews with twenty-four pregnant girls who sought abortions. The girls ranged in age from twelve to nineteen and were from a lower socioeconomic background. The authors describe the dominant conflict aroused by the situation and its clinical and developmental implications. Although differing in personality, the girls invariably exhibited intense conflict between 'being mothered and being a mother'. The manner in which abortion was sought, planned, and carried out depended upon the balance of the 'being mothered-mothering' polarity. Where passive wishes for 'the mother of infancy' predominated, patterns of extreme denial and passive dependence upon the mother were the rule. The opposite extreme was reflected in independent, active management and self-care, with a subsequent increase in sense of mastery; these girls appeared to utilize the crisis as an organizing experience. The authors found this conceptualization a useful approach to clinical appraisal and planning, especially in the selection of the patients most in need of active supportive measures.