Literature Review on Provision of Appropriate and Accessible ...

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international jurisdictions including laws which prohibit sex with
people deemed unable to consent to sex, laws which incorporate
a functional approach to assessment of capacity to consent to
sexual <strong>Literature</strong> relations, <strong>Review</strong> generic on Provision laws applying of Appropriate to sex without and Accessible consent
and Support laws which to People prohibit with specific an Intellectual sexual Disability relationships. who are
Experiencing Crisis Pregnancy
• There is a lack of empirical evidence on the individual experience
of crisis pregnancy, pregnancy and childbirth among women
with intellectual disability, to inform professional practice. There
is limited research related to how a woman with intellectual
disability conceptualises her pregnancy and whether it was
unplanned, unwanted or a crisis for her. The research that does
exist suggests that the number of women with intellectual
disability having children is increasing and that when a woman
announces her pregnancy, the reactions of people close to
her are almost exclusively negative. Other challenges faced by
women with an intellectual disability experiencing pregnancy
and parenthood include accessing sexual health information,
accessing sexual health services, inadequate information and
negative attitudes to pregnancy and parenthood among service
providers and the wider community.
• The review considers the importance of early presentation to
medical services when a woman with an intellectual disability
discovers her pregnancy. Furthermore, it considers pre- and
post-natal supports for women experiencing pregnancy, as well
as supports for their families and carers.
• A consistent finding in the international literature is that mothers
with intellectual disability experience poverty, anxiety and
social isolation and tend not to have the necessary supports in
place to cope with difficulties that they encounter as parents.
Furthermore, the research has established the importance of
family and social support networks as well as information and
education in assisting mothers with an intellectual disability in
raising their children.