Work

Professionals’ experience with conscientious objection to abortion in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: An interview study

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: In Ethiopia, conscientious objection (CO) to abortion provision is not allowed due to government regulations. We here report findings from a qualitative interview study of 30 healthcare professionals from different professions working with abortion in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. CO is practised despite the regulations forbidding it. Most informants appeared to be unfamiliar with the prohibition or else did not accord it weight in their moral reasoning. Proponents of institutionalization/toleration of CO claimed that accommodation was often feasible in a hospital setting because colleagues could take over. Opponents pointed to threats to patient access in rural settings especially. Both proponents and opponents invoked tenets of professional ethics, viz., the right not to be coerced into actions one deems unacceptable, or the duty to provide care, respectively. More societal and professional discussion of the ethics and regulation of CO, and a clearer link between legal regulation and ethical guidance for professionals, are called for.

Source: Developing World Bioethics

DOI: 10.1111/dewb.12297

Authors: Morten Magelssen, Demelash Bezabih Ewnetu

Language: English

Topic: Ethics and bioethics in healthcare

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Peace, justice, and strong institutions, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: Direktoratet for Utviklingssamarbeid

Award: G1337205396