Brazilian Northeast Medical students' knowledge on the morality of abortion

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26512/rbb.v16.2020.27158

Keywords:

Abortion. Embryo. Medical education. Bioethics.

Abstract

Abortion legalization raises several discussions. Mostly, what we observe is a discussion under deontological aspects or a technical approach, within Gynecology and Obstetrics classes. The aim of this study was to analyze the bioethical conceptions of the students about the morality of abortion, to investigate the knowledge about the legal conditions of abortion and to know the perception about the rights of the fetus. The cross-sectional quantitative study was carried out at through questionnaires applied to third year medical students. 132 students accepted joining the study, most of them 63,6% from the 7th semester and 36,4% from the 6th semester of medical school. Research’s participants were 25 years-old (medium), the majority was female 73,5% and 63% declared to be catholic. Most of the students interviewed reported being in favor of abortion, however 74% conditioned their response to "it depends". For the interviewed, abortion should be performed in situations like: rape 44%, risk of pregnant death 22%, anencephalic fetus 18%; 16% didn’t cite the condition and just mentioned the need of analyzing each situation to take a decision. Only 21% of the students positioned themselves against abortion. The lack of knowledge about the conditions of legal abortion and the position in favor of abortion converge with other studies analyzed. Most recognize the embryo as an individual, which shows a divergence of opinion in certain conditions. We conclude that we need a wide and curricular discussion on the matter, embasing this subject with the students, giving value to life as an imperative.

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References

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Published

2021-06-24

How to Cite

Silva dos Santos , C. A. (2021). Brazilian Northeast Medical students’ knowledge on the morality of abortion. Revista Brasileira De Bioética, 16, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.26512/rbb.v16.2020.27158

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Section

Artigos Originais