Abortion – Knowledge and attitudes in Amp Pipal, Nepal

Abstract

Degree Project Thesis, Programme in Medicine. TITLE: Abortion – Knowledge and attitudes in Amp Pipal, Nepal. Background: 50,000 young women worldwide die every year due to unsafe abortions, whereof 99% in low-income countries. Nepal used to have one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world, but the numbers are rapidly decreasing after abortion legalization in 2002. Still the majority of the population is not aware of the new law, and common attitudes hinder women from seeking safe abortions. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate knowledge about and attitudes towards induced abortion among adults at Amp Pipal Community Hospital in Nepal, and to analyse differences between age groups, individuals with different education levels, ethnicities, sex or between medical students and other people. Methods: The study was based on structured interviews with questions in Nepali, using a translator. Results: 118 patients and 7 medical students were included. Only 10% knew that abortion was legal until week 12 of pregnancy regardless the reason. A significant difference in knowledge was mostly seen between medical students and the other study participants. The attitudes differed significantly depending on the reasons for abortion, and became more positive with increased knowledge. Conclusions: Knowledge about the abortion law was poor in this study. Most of the study participants thought abortion was justified after rape or because of medical conditions. Few thought abortion was justified due to poverty or sex-selection, or when only one parent wanted to abort. Implications: Even where abortions are legal, far from everybody are aware of this. Safe abortions are considered a human right, and should be evaluated based on availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality to further reduce the maternal mortality. Key words: abortion, legalization, knowledge, attitudes