Re: Abortion Surveys
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Canadian Medical Association Journal, Vol 129, Issue 3 262-272,
Copyright © 1983 by Canadian Medical Association
JOURNAL ARTICLE
CMA abortion survey
Brief Summary
Responses to the question as to whether abortions should be performed
at the woman's request during the first trimester of pregnancy were
evenly divided. There was support for abortion on socioeconomic
grounds, during the first trimester, from 61.5% of the respondents.
Termination of pregnancy beyond the first trimester was supported by
a majority of the respondents only in cases in which the woman's life
is in danger (73.9%) or in which there is evidence of a severe
physical
abnormality in the fetus (70.6%) or in cases in which the woman's
physical health is in danger (55.5%). Those who said they would not
support abortion under any circumstances constitute, at most, 5.1% of
the respondents. Support for the maintenance or the elimination of
therapeutic abortion committees was addressed in two questions and in
both cases the respondents were evenly divided. The responses to
these two questions were compared and found to be logically
consistent.
Only physicians should perform abortions, and they should be performed
in
hospitals with the woman either as an inpatient or, during the first
trimester, as an outpatient. The performance of first-trimester
abortions in provincially approved abortion clinics was supported by
47.3% of the respondents. Of the 885 respondents who wished to see
some amendment to the Criminal Code, 409 stated that the term
"health" as used in the Criminal Code relative to the legal grounds
for
therapeutic abortion should be defined.