title: Future healthcare professionals' knowledge about the Argentinean abortion law.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We assessed healthcare students' knowledge and opinions on Argentinian abortion law and identified differences between first- and final-year healthcare students.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional study, self-administered anonymous questionnaires were administered to 760 first- and 695 final-year students from different fields of study (medicine, midwifery, nursing, radiology, nutrition, speech therapy, and physiotherapy) of the School of Medicine at the University of Buenos Aires, in 2011-2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to first-year students, a higher percentage of final-year students knew that abortion is legally restricted in Argentina (p < 0.001). A significantly higher percentage of final-year students could correctly identify the circumstances in which abortion is legal: woman's life risk (87.4% last vs. 79.1% first year), rape of a woman with developmental disability (66.2% first vs. 85.4% last-year; p < 0.001). More final-year students chose severe foetal malformations (37.3% first year vs. 57.3% final year) despite its being illegal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although most final-year students knew that abortion is legally restricted in Argentina, misconceptions regarding circumstances of legal abortion were observed; this may be due to the fact that abortion is inadequately covered in the medical curricula. Medical schools should ensure that sexual and reproductive health topics are an integral part of their curricula. Healthcare providers who are aware of the legality of abortion are more likely to provide the public with sound information and ensure abortions are appropriately performed.
authors.affiliation: Department of OB-GYN, Gynaecology Division, Faculty of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Belén
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Provenzano-Castro
authors.affiliation: Department of OB-GYN, Gynaecology Division, Faculty of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oizerovich
authors.affiliation: Division of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Babill
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stray-Pedersen
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000293:Adolescent; D001118:Argentina; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D013336:Students, Health Occupations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Argentina; abortion law; healthcare students; knowledge; personal opinion