Opinion of women about elective abortion

Abstract

Objective:The aim of this study was to investigate the opinions of women who presented to the hospital for elective abortion.Materials and Methods:This descriptive study was designed and conducted at our university hospital between March 2013-April 2013 by the method of face-to-face interviews with 500 women who presented to the hospital as patient or relatives of patients. Poll consisted of 6 questions about demographic characteristics and 14 questions evaluating the opinions and attitudes about abortion.Results:The age of the women who participated in the study was ranging between 18 and 75 years with the mean age of 31.5±11.9 years. Twenty-six women (5.2%) were illiterate, while 109 (21.8%) were university graduates. 70.8% of women stated that they were against elective abortion. Among the reasons against abortion on request were: “forbidden by the religion”-53.1% of women, “against human rights”-35.3%, and “unhealthy for the mother”-7.1% of women. About the prohibition of abortion, 82.4% of women said that “it may be performed under necessary conditions”, 9.6% “it should be completely forbidden”, and 8% stated that “it should never be forbidden”.Conclusion:A large number of respondents reported that they have negative attitude towards elective abortion, however, in case of medical necessity, abortion should be performed. During the legal arrangements done about situations that may affect the public health, such as abortion regulations, we believe it would be useful to assess the perspective of the society on this issue.

15-49 Yaş Kadınlarda Kendiliğinden ve İsteyerek Düşükler ve Belirleyicileri

“…In a study conducted at a university hospital, it was found that only about one-fifth of the participants considered abortion as a natural right, two-thirds approved in case of danger for health, and more than one in ten people wanted strictly that it would not be allowed under any circumstances. 34 In the first 10-12 weeks of the pregnancy, induced abortion was considered as part of the reproductive rights, preventing abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies was seen as an important gain for women's health. 6 This finding of ours suggests that those who know that abortion was legal to use it as a family planning method and also brought about the problem of access to healthcare for women without knowledge.…”

Investigation into the Relationship Between Women’s Thoughts, Stigmatizing Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behaviors on Voluntary Abortion and Spiritual Well-Being in Turkiye

“…It has been determined in studies that factors, such as a young mother’s age, number and age of children, serious illnesses, death of spouse or divorce, and low education level increase the frequency of application of voluntary abortions (Chiweshe et al, 2017; Koç et al, 2022). In Turkiye, the reasons for women’s voluntary abortion were reported as health problems (37.5%), unwanted pregnancy (26%), being told that their baby would be disabled (9.4%), unplanned pregnancy (52.9%) and medical necessity (47.1%) were reported as main reasons (Çakmak et al, 2015; Koç et al, 2022). Involuntary curettage is an indicator of the unmet need for family planning services in developing countries, and unplanned and unwanted pregnancies are often terminated by induced abortion.…”

“…In addition, in societies where voluntary abortion is condemned, women may hide that they have had a voluntary abortion due to the stigma, exclusion or judgment they face (Makleff et al, 2019). Studies conducted in Turkiye indicate that approximately half of women want voluntary abortion to be banned and that women experience psychological problems after voluntary abortion (Çakmak et al, 2015; Koç et al, 2022). In one study, two out of three women who had an abortion expected to be stigmatized if others found out; 58% stated that they should keep the abortion a secret from their friends and family and felt guilt and shame after the abortion.…”