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ATTITUDES OF MEDICAL STUDENTS TO INDUCED ABORTION
Abstract
Background: Unsafe abortion causes 13% of maternal deaths worldwide. Safe abortion can
only be offered under conditions where legislation has been passed for legal termination of
unwanted pregnancy. Where such legislation exists, accessibility of safe abortion depends on
the attitudes of doctors and other healthcare workers to induced abortion. Medical students
as future doctors may have attitudes to abortion that will affect the provision of safe abortion.
Little is known about the attitudes of South African medical students to abortion.
Objectives: To assess sexual practices and attitudes of medical students to induced abortion
and to determine some of the factors that may influence these attitudes.
Design: A cross-sectional analytic study involving the self-administration of an anonymous
questionnaire.
Setting: The questionnaire was administered to medical students at a small, but growing,
medical school situated in rural South Africa.
Main Outcome measures: Demographic data, sexual practices and attitudes to induced
abortion.
Results: Two hundred and forty seven out of 300 (82.3%) medical students responded. Their
mean age was 21.81 ± 3.36 (SD)years, and 78.8% were Christians, 17.1% Hindus and 2.6%
Muslims. Although 95% of the respondents were single, 68.6% were already sexually
experienced, and their mean age at coitarche was 17.24±3.14 (SD) years. Although overall
61.2% of the respondents felt abortion is murder either at conception or later, the majority
(87.2%) would perform or refer a woman for abortion under certain circumstances. These
circumstances, in descending order of frequency, include: threat to mother’s life (74.1%), in
case of rape (62.3%), the baby is severely malformed (59.5%), threat to mother’s mental
health (53.8%) and parental incompetence (21.0%). Only 12.5% of respondents would
perform or refer for abortion on demand, 12.8% would neither perform nor refer for
abortion under any circumstances. Religious affiliation and service attendance significantly
influenced some of these attitudes and beliefs.
Conclusion: Although many of the medical students personally felt abortion is murder, the
majority are likely to perform or refer patients for abortion under certain circumstances;
only about a tenth are likely to perform or refer patients for abortion on demand.
only be offered under conditions where legislation has been passed for legal termination of
unwanted pregnancy. Where such legislation exists, accessibility of safe abortion depends on
the attitudes of doctors and other healthcare workers to induced abortion. Medical students
as future doctors may have attitudes to abortion that will affect the provision of safe abortion.
Little is known about the attitudes of South African medical students to abortion.
Objectives: To assess sexual practices and attitudes of medical students to induced abortion
and to determine some of the factors that may influence these attitudes.
Design: A cross-sectional analytic study involving the self-administration of an anonymous
questionnaire.
Setting: The questionnaire was administered to medical students at a small, but growing,
medical school situated in rural South Africa.
Main Outcome measures: Demographic data, sexual practices and attitudes to induced
abortion.
Results: Two hundred and forty seven out of 300 (82.3%) medical students responded. Their
mean age was 21.81 ± 3.36 (SD)years, and 78.8% were Christians, 17.1% Hindus and 2.6%
Muslims. Although 95% of the respondents were single, 68.6% were already sexually
experienced, and their mean age at coitarche was 17.24±3.14 (SD) years. Although overall
61.2% of the respondents felt abortion is murder either at conception or later, the majority
(87.2%) would perform or refer a woman for abortion under certain circumstances. These
circumstances, in descending order of frequency, include: threat to mother’s life (74.1%), in
case of rape (62.3%), the baby is severely malformed (59.5%), threat to mother’s mental
health (53.8%) and parental incompetence (21.0%). Only 12.5% of respondents would
perform or refer for abortion on demand, 12.8% would neither perform nor refer for
abortion under any circumstances. Religious affiliation and service attendance significantly
influenced some of these attitudes and beliefs.
Conclusion: Although many of the medical students personally felt abortion is murder, the
majority are likely to perform or refer patients for abortion under certain circumstances;
only about a tenth are likely to perform or refer patients for abortion on demand.
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