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Is abortion justified to save the life or health of a woman? Evidence of public opinion from Accra, Ghana
Author(s) -
Rominski Sarah D.,
Bell April J.,
Yawson Alfred E.,
Nakua Emmanuel K.,
Moyer Cheryl A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1002/ijgo.12927
Subject(s) - abortion , medicine , marital status , context (archaeology) , logistic regression , unsafe abortion , public health , demography , public opinion , abortion law , cross sectional study , reproductive health , family planning , population , gerontology , family medicine , pregnancy , environmental health , nursing , law , paleontology , genetics , pathology , sociology , politics , political science , research methodology , biology
Objective In this study, we sought to determine to what extent the abortion law in Ghana is reflective of public opinion. Methods In a cross‐sectional, community‐based survey, individuals in two fishing communities in Accra were interviewed about their beliefs on abortion between May and July 2016, and sociodemographic, attitudinal, and experience data were collected. Factors associated with the outcome variable (abortion is justified to save the life/health of the woman: Yes/No) were entered into a multivariate logistic regression. Results A total of 508 participants completed the survey. Thirty‐nine percent (n=198) of the sample agreed that abortion was justified to save the life/health of the woman, with no significant differences in this finding when controlling for understanding of the law, gender, marital status, or personal experience of abortion in multivariate analysis. Higher education (odds ratio [ OR ] 1.64 [ P <0.001]) and older age ( OR 1.28 [ P <0.001]) are positively associated with abortion being justified to save life/health, while those who have had an experience of unwanted sex are less likely to believe that ( OR 0.60 [ P =0.029]). Conclusion The participants held conservative views about the justification of abortion to save a woman's life and/or health. Improving access to safe abortion services will require acknowledgment of the broader social and cultural context that may make accessing such services difficult.