PIP: Interviews with samples of mostly middle-aged, impoverished women in several Latin American countries provide insight on how the women perceive their experience of motherhood, the influence on them of Catholic Church teachings regarding abortion and contraception, and the ultimate effect on the ability of women to undertake personal projects to improve their lives. All of the women interviewed approved of the use of modern contraceptive methods. They believed women had a right to decide the number of their children, regardless of the position of the Church. Most of the women felt poorly informed about contraception and desired to know more. Economic resources influenced the choice of method for the poorest women. The low-income women interviewed assumed nearly exclusive responsibility for the care of their many children, and were thus unable to find employment adequate to their needs. Younger women appeared more informed about the desirability of family planning, but several cases of adolescent pregnancy shed doubt on their ability to improve their own living conditions. The lack of training opportunities, difficulty of earning money and resulting economic dependence, exclusive dedication to domestic chores, and awareness of their inability to make decisions about their lives reinforce the unfavorable gender position assigned to these women. Women who were able to achieve satisfying social or employment situations often had the help of nongovernmental or other civil organizations. The Catholic Church does not appear to have promoted or supported the social or affective needs of women, instead stressing that female sexuality and maternity must remain indissolubly linked. Repression of female sexuality ultimately appears to reinforce the condition of subordination and poverty experienced by the women.