Document Detail


Australian attitudes to early and late abortion.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20618106     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
OBJECTIVE: To investigate community attitudes to abortion, including views on whether doctors should face sanctions for performing late abortion in a range of clinical and social situations. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: An anonymous online survey of 1050 Australians aged 18 years or older (stratified by sex, age and location) using contextualised questions, conducted between 28 and 31 July 2008. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Attitudes to abortion, particularly after 24 weeks' gestation. RESULTS: Our study showed a high level of support for access to early abortion; 87% of respondents indicated that abortion should be lawful in the first trimester (61% unconditionally and 26% depending on the circumstances). In most of the clinical and social circumstances described in our survey, a majority of respondents indicated that doctors should not face professional sanctions for performing abortion after 24 weeks' gestation. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that a majority of Australians support laws which enable women to access abortion services after 24 weeks' gestation, and that support varies depending on circumstances. Simple yes/no polls may give a misleading picture of public opinion.
Authors:
Lachlan J de Crespigny; Dominic J Wilkinson; Thomas Douglas; Mark Textor; Julian Savulescu
Related Documents :
19957496 - Abortion and protection of the human fetus: religious and legal problems in pakistan.
17845456 - Boonin on the future-like-ours argument against abortion.
20887286 - Parental consent for abortion and the judicial bypass option in arkansas: effects and c...
16667166 - Roles of carbohydrate supply and phytohormones in maize kernel abortion.
11698986 - Addressing psychosocial issues and problems of co-morbidity for native american clients...
11643066 - Commentary on "being on time for appointments.
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  The Medical journal of Australia     Volume:  193     ISSN:  0025-729X     ISO Abbreviation:  Med. J. Aust.     Publication Date:  2010 Jul 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-07-12     Completed Date:  2010-08-31     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0400714     Medline TA:  Med J Aust     Country:  Australia    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  9-12     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. lachlandec@yahoo.com.au
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Abortion, Induced* / legislation & jurisprudence,  psychology
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Attitude to Health*
Australia
Female
Gestational Age
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Physicians / legislation & jurisprudence
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Trimester, First
Pregnancy Trimester, Second
Public Opinion*
Young Adult

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  MMR, Wakefield and The Lancet: what can we learn?
Next Document:  Views and practices of induced abortion among Australian Fellows and specialist trainees of the Roya...