A majority of Australians support laws that enable women to
access late abortion, depending on the circumstances, according to research
published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Dr Lachlan de Crespigny, Prof Julian Savulescu and
colleagues from the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at the University
of Oxford, UK, report an anonymous survey of 1050 Australians aged 18 years or
older between 28 and 31 July 2008. It was conducted by Crosby/Textor, a leading
public opinion research firm.
Miscarriage
A miscarriage (spontaneous abortion) is the spontaneous loss of a fetus before the 20th week of pregnancy.
Advertisement
Their study found a high level of support for access to early abortion, with 87 per cent of respondents indicating that abortion should be lawful in the first trimester.
In addition, Dr de Crespigny said that Australians did not
support penalising of doctors who performed late abortions. In a wide range of
clinical and social circumstances described in the survey, a majority of
respondents believed that doctors should not face professional sanctions for
performing abortion after 24 weeks' gestation.
![High Risk Pregnancy Group Calculator]( "High Risk Pregnancy Group Calculator")
Medindia offers you a useful calculator to find out if you fall under the high risk pregnant group. Take the precautionary steps and avoid complications during pregnancy.
"When asked to consider specific, realistic situations in which late abortion might be considered, many respondents opposed sanctions against doctors, particularly when abortion is sought because of maternal or fetal complications rather than personal reasons," Dr de Crespigny said.
He said the data suggested that single general questions, which had been used in previous surveys, provided a limited view of community attitudes to abortion.
"Simple yes/no polls do not allow people to accurately express the subtlety of their views in the complex range of clinical and social situations in which access to abortion might be sought," Dr de Crespigny said.
"The sensitivity of Australians' views on abortion to contextual details may have implications for other debates about ethics.
"People are much less black and white about ethical questions when they are provided with specific details and asked to think about what they would want for themselves or family members. The more permissive attitude elicited when context was provided in our study may, for example, carry over to debates about euthanasia, the use of medicine or technology for human enhancement, organ donation, and embryonic stem cell research."
Prof Savulescu, a Sir Louis Matheson Visiting Professor at Monash University, said: "Abortion must be decriminalised. Early abortion should be freely and easily available on request. Late abortion should be freely and easily available, at least for those who have a valid justification.
"Abortion is a crime in at least some circumstances in all Australian jurisdictions except for Victoria and ACT. Criminal abortion laws should be repealed and abortion available on demand. It is time to take a more ethical approach to abortion. It is a valid part of family planning."
The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.
Source: MJA
High Risk Pregnancy Group Calculator
Medindia offers you a useful calculator to find out if you fall under the high risk pregnant group. Take the precautionary steps and avoid complications during pregnancy.
Advertisement
"When asked to consider specific, realistic situations in which late abortion might be considered, many respondents opposed sanctions against doctors, particularly when abortion is sought because of maternal or fetal complications rather than personal reasons," Dr de Crespigny said.
He said the data suggested that single general questions, which had been used in previous surveys, provided a limited view of community attitudes to abortion.
"Simple yes/no polls do not allow people to accurately express the subtlety of their views in the complex range of clinical and social situations in which access to abortion might be sought," Dr de Crespigny said.
"The sensitivity of Australians' views on abortion to contextual details may have implications for other debates about ethics.
"People are much less black and white about ethical questions when they are provided with specific details and asked to think about what they would want for themselves or family members. The more permissive attitude elicited when context was provided in our study may, for example, carry over to debates about euthanasia, the use of medicine or technology for human enhancement, organ donation, and embryonic stem cell research."
Prof Savulescu, a Sir Louis Matheson Visiting Professor at Monash University, said: "Abortion must be decriminalised. Early abortion should be freely and easily available on request. Late abortion should be freely and easily available, at least for those who have a valid justification.
"Abortion is a crime in at least some circumstances in all Australian jurisdictions except for Victoria and ACT. Criminal abortion laws should be repealed and abortion available on demand. It is time to take a more ethical approach to abortion. It is a valid part of family planning."
The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.
Source: MJA
Trimester of pregnancy
Encyclopedia section of medindia explains in brief about confirmation of pregnancy in first trimester
Advertisement
 Human Fetus Do Not Feel Pain Before 24 Weeks, Study FindsA new study has found that human foetuses do not feel pain before the age of 24 weeks. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest General Health News
In India, youth must be aware of the diseases linked to cigarette smoking and tobacco consumption, causing a form of healthcare emergency.
Direct coastal access may represent a viable route to public health promotion, but the relationships of coastal living are not strongest among lower-income groups.
New research by Tinnitus UK has found that over four million gardeners are putting their hearing capacity at risk this summer without using safety protection.
Mucus plugs could be targeted to help reduce fatalities from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The development of reliable curative therapies for multiple sclerosis could significantly reduce the economic burden of the disease on patients and wider society.