Evaluation of Ethical Aspects of Legal Abortion From the Viewpoint of Pregnant Women Referring to the Forensic Medicine Center in Iran

Abortion has long been a complex and challenging issue in many societies. Abortion refers to the spontaneous or induced termination of a pregnancy before the fetus reaches a stage of viability. Women’s decisions regarding legal abortion are influenced by a range of factors, including their husbands, families, societies, cultures, and religious beliefs, which encompass various dimensions. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the ethical aspects of legal abortion from the perspective of pregnant women attending Iran’s forensic medicine center.

This descriptive-analytical and cross sectional study was conducted in 2019. The research samples included pregnant women referring to the forensic medicine of Isfahan city to obtain a legal abortion license. A total of 229 participants were selected using convenience sampling method. The data collection tool was a researcher-developed questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods in the SPSS software.

In the present study, the highest and lowest mean scores of ethical aspects of legal abortion belonged to autonomy (36.20±3.01) and justice (17.24±2.45) respectively. The mean scores of ethical aspects of legal abortion did not show significant differences between women with wanted and unwanted pregnancies (P<0.05).

Women’s autonomy in doing a legal abortion had the highest score, while justice in legal abortion had the lowest score. Given the fact that a great percent of mothers agreed that their spouses should support their decisions, it is necessary to examine factors such as the role of spouses, family, doctors, and society in this regard. Determining the ethical aspects (positive or negative) of legal abortion and mothers’ viewpoint in this regard can hopefully lead to the design of an appropriate program to improve the conditions governing legal abortion.