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Attitudes towards termination of pregnancy among Hong Kong Chinese women attending prenatal diagnosis counselling clinic
Author(s) -
Leung Tse Ngong,
Ching Chau Macy Mo,
Chang Joseph Jeremy,
Leung Tak Yeung,
Fung Tak Yuen,
Lau Tze Kin
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
prenatal diagnosis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.956
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1097-0223
pISSN - 0197-3851
DOI - 10.1002/pd.950
Subject(s) - medicine , abortion , gestation , pregnancy , obstetrics , prenatal diagnosis , fetus , down syndrome , gynecology , genetic counseling , pediatrics , family medicine , psychiatry , genetics , biology
Objective To investigate the attitudes towards termination of pregnancy (TOP) among Hong Kong Chinese women attending the prenatal diagnosis counselling (PDC) clinic under three circumstances: (1) normal fetus, (2) fetal chromosomal anomalies, and (3) fetal abnormalities diagnosed after 24 weeks of gestation, and to determine the association between the attitudes and demographic factors. Methods One hundred and twenty‐two women were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Results Over 50% of our women viewed it as their right to choose an abortion in early pregnancy and only 28.7% agreed that the doctor has the right to make the final decision. Approximately 90% would choose TOP for lethal chromosomal abnormalities and Down syndrome while about 50% would do so for Klinefelter or Turner syndromes. Over 80% were of the opinion that women should be given the right to choose TOP for lethal congenital malformation as well as for Down syndrome after 24 weeks of gestation. This figure dropped to 55.7% for non‐lethal structural malformation that requires postnatal treatment. Religious background was a significant factor for a negative attitude towards TOP. Conclusion Our data suggest that our women who attended the PDC clinic had an open attitude towards TOP for fetal abnormalities in general. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.