Physicians and abortion: A study of the willingness to provide legal abortion due to rape in Mexico
Description
Although the legal framework to access abortion services in the case of a pregnancy resulting from rape has been established in Mexico, women who request legal abortions due to rape are still faced with multiple obstacles that usually increase the time they are pregnant or ultimately force them to carry the pregnancy to term against their will. Several studies have shown that although most doctors agree with the practice of abortion within the legal framework, considerably fewer are willing to practice them. Delay, outright refusal of legal abortion services, as well as women's perceptions that these services will be denied may contribute to the occurrence of illegal abortions and may foster an environment where illegal abortions are sought even when women have the right to a legal service. This dissertation consists of two studies, the first quantitatively examines factors associated to physicians' attitudes, intentions to perform abortions due to rape, and past provision of legal abortions using a nationally representative sample of 1206 physicians from urban Mexico; and the second study explores incentives and disincentives to providing legal abortion services in the case of rape through 49 in-depth interviews of physicians in Mexico City. Findings from this study indicate that many factors act as barriers for physicians to provide abortion services. Generally speaking if physicians are well informed about abortion legislation, recognize women's need for safe abortion services and have positive attitudes about women who seek abortions, physicians are willing to provide abortion services or refer the patient with someone else who may provide it. However, many physicians are not well informed about official procedures concerning the public and the private sector, and fear being associated to abortion practices due to loss of professional prestige. There is also a generalized lack of recognition towards women as having the right to choosing when and under what circumstances they should bear children. Thus, in many occasions the supply of abortion services, and the degree of efficiency particularly in public hospitals, is based on physicians' personal ideology and not professional protocol. Program implications include training physicians to balance personal values with professional responsibilities