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Summary and conclusions
Author(s) -
Sara E. Barker,
Ron Rohrbaugh
Publication year - 1963
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1963.tb08785.x
Subject(s) - psychology , medicine
The present work is a report of a psychiatric follow-up study on 229 women whose applications for legal abortion were refused by the National Board of Health in Sweden in 1948. CHAP. I. According to the Swedish Abortion Act pregnancy in a woman may be terminated on medical grounds, because of existing illness or weakness either physical or mental; on medicosocial grounds, or :inticipnted weakness, if the pregnancy and care of the child is likely to give rise to serious mental or bodily sequelae; on forensic grounds, if the woman has been made pregnant under circumstances involving gross disregard of her freedom of action; on geriefic grounds, if a likelihood exists that the woman or the fathcr of the expected child may transmit to the offspring any serious mental or bodily disease or defect. It has been stressed in the comments on the law, that the aim of thi3 legislation is to provide women desiring termination of an unwanted pregnancy with appropriate social and medical assistance. CHAP. II. After a review of the relevant literature, it was found that there is a paucity of investigations regarding the prognosis for women who are refused permission for legal abortion. The aim of llic 1jr(wnt work is to elucidate this problem. CHAP. 111. The material consists of the women in the county and cily of Stockholm and the county of Uppsaln whose applications for legal abortion were rejected after investigation by the National Board of Health in 1948. A comprehensive series of women with a c1c:irly defined desire for abortion, as well as a uniform method of investigation, were thus obtained. At the same time it was ensured