Assessment of knowledge and attitudes of men and women aged between 15-49 years towards legalization of induced abortion in Mizan Aman Town, Bench Maji zone, South West Ethiopia, 2016

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Asrat Meleko, Mengistu Ayenew, Haile Haftu and Binyam Aregay

Mizan-Tepi University, Ethiopia

: J Nurs Patient Care

Abstract

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Countries with narrow bases for legal abortion are vulnerable for burden of unsafe abortion and related mortality. Globally, 26% of populations live where abortion is prohibited or permitted on certain circumstances where majorities are in developing countries. In Ethiopia, one in seven women die from pregnancy-related causes and of this unsafe abortion contribute for maternal deaths of more than half of the 20,000 that occur annually. It is fact that only setting legal reforms alone in a given country cannot reduce abortion related deaths especially in Ethiopia. This study was aimed to fill the existing information gap in Mizan Aman town by assessing knowledge and attitudes of men and women towards legalization of induced abortion. Hence, community based cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2015 to June 2016 in Mizan Aman town, Bench Maji zone, south west Ethiopia. Data collection tool used was structured questionnaire. Data entry and analysis was done using EpiData V3.1 and SPSS V20. The result was displayed using tables and figures. A total of 422 individuals were included in this study. Majority, 238 (56.4%), of them preferred legalization of induced abortion. Only, 24 (5.7%), respondents know current legal status of abortion. Knowledge about abortion complication and preference to terminate unwanted pregnancy has association with attitude towards legalization of abortion (P<0.005). Finally it was concluded that low number of respondents knows current legal status of abortion. Thus concerned bodies such as professionals, CBOs and other influential individuals should be involved to enhance community knowledge and perception towards legal aspects of abortion.

Biography

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Asrat Meleko has completed her Master’s degree in Public Health from Addis Ababa University and Bachelor’s degree from Mada-Walabu University. She has been working in Mizan Tepi University as a Lecturer, Researcher and Project Coordinator for more than 7 years. Her research articles published in different reputable journals.