title: [Representations and experiences of obstetrician/gynecologists with legal and illegal abortion in two maternity-hospitals in Salvador da Bahia].
abstract: The objective of this qualitative study, carried out in two maternity-hospitals in Salvador da Bahia, was to investigate the experience and representations of health professionals, and particularly obstetricians-gynecologists, regarding legal abortion in comparison with their representations and experience with illegal abortion. A questionnaire was distributed and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 health professionals (13 obstetricians-gynecologists) in a hospital providing legal abortion (P) and with 20 health professionals (9 obstetricians-gynecologists) in another hospital that does not provide this service (F). The factors that influence the representations and experience of abortion of most obstetricians-gynecologists and explain the high rate of conscientious objection at Hospital P were: 1- the criminalization of abortion and the fear of being denounced; 2- the stigmatization of abortion by certain religious groups and by the physicians themselves; 3- training in obstetrics and the lack of good training in the epidemiology of maternal morbidity-mortality and abortion; 4- representations on gender relations. The main factors associated with liberal attitudes were: age - under 30 and over 45 years of age - experience with high maternal mortality rates due to abortion and experience with legal abortion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Goldsmiths-University of London, London. ans01sd@gold.ac.uk
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Zordo
mesh_terms: D000024:Abortion, Illegal; D000029:Abortion, Legal; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006176:Gynecology; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009774:Obstetrics; D011247:Pregnancy