Abstract
BackgroundIn developing countries, abortion is often unsafe and a significant cause of maternal morbidity and mortality accounting for about 8% (4.7–13.2%) of maternal mortality worldwide. Internationally, safe abortion services are recognized as reducing maternal mortality, and liberalized abortion laws are associated with reduced mortality resulting from unsafe abortion procedures. However, health care providers have moral, social and gender-based reservations that affects their willingness towards providing induced abortion services. The purpose of this study was to assess willingness to perform induced abortion and associated factors among graduating Midwifery, Medical, Nursing, and Public health officer students of University of Gondar.MethodsInstitution based cross sectional study was conducted from March 29 to May 30, 2019. All graduating students available during data collection period were considered as study population. Stratified simple random sampling technique was used to select 424 study participants. Pre tested, semi- structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Ethical clearance was obtained from School of midwifery under the delegation of institutional review board of university of Gondar.ResultsTwo hundred ninety students out of 424 students were willing to perform induced abortion for indications supported by Ethiopian abortion law, making a proportion of 68.4% (95%Cl: 64.2, 72.9). Sex (Being male (AOR = 4.89, 95%CI: 3.02, 7.89)), religion (being orthodox than protestant (AOR = 10.41, 95%CI: 3.02, 21.57)), being Muslim than protestant (AOR = 5.73, 95%CI: 1.37, 15.92)) and having once or less a week religious attendance (AOR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.20, 3.34) were factors associated with willingness towards performing induced abortion.ConclusionsAccording to this study willingness of students towards providing induced abortion services was good. However female students, protestant followers and those students with more than once a week religious attendance should be encouraged to support women’s access to induced abortion services by referring them to other health care professionals willing to provide induced abortion services.
Highlights
In developing countries, abortion is often unsafe and a significant cause of maternal morbidity and mortality accounting for about 8% (4.7–13.2%) of maternal mortality worldwide
Health care providers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have moral, social and gender based reservations that affect their willingness towards performing induced abortion [6]
The shortage of health care providers who can provide comprehensive abortion care (CAC) is still critical and this is again exacerbated by the unwillingness of some health care providers to provide induced abortion services due to various religious, cultural and biological factors [10, 11]
Summary
Abortion is often unsafe and a significant cause of maternal morbidity and mortality accounting for about 8% (4.7–13.2%) of maternal mortality worldwide. Safe abortion services are recognized as reducing maternal mortality, and liberalized abortion laws are associated with reduced mortality resulting from unsafe abortion procedures. Health care providers have moral, social and genderbased reservations that affects their willingness towards providing induced abortion services. Induced abortion (safe termination) services are recognized as key interventions in reducing maternal mortality and morbidity associated with unsafe abortion procedures [4, 5]. Health care providers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have moral, social and gender based reservations that affect their willingness towards performing induced abortion [6]. The government of Ethiopia revised and liberalized the abortion law in 2005 to increase the accessibility of safe termination services by taking the amount of unsafe abortion and its health detrimental consequences on maternal health [8]. The shortage of health care providers who can provide comprehensive abortion care (CAC) is still critical and this is again exacerbated by the unwillingness of some health care providers to provide induced abortion services due to various religious, cultural and biological factors [10, 11]
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