Legal abortion: reports from doctors at a reference hospital

Abstract

Although Brazilian legislation allows abortion in cases of rape, risk of maternal mortality, and fetal anencephaly, the medical professional holds the authority to diagnose and advise on abortion, as well as the right to claim conscientious objection to refuse performing the procedure. This article aims to analyze the accounts of six doctors gynecologistsobstetricians interviewed at a hospital specializing in abortion procedures to reflect on their perceptions. It was possible to assess that sociocultural implications strain individual perspectives on victimization and abortion. Moreover, the multidisciplinary conditions for medical practice, given the division of roles within the hospital structure, affect service delivery and are perceived as incompatible with academic training. Nevertheless, the understanding of the crime seems to prevail in favor of care, respecting the preservation of the reference service in attending to the victims of this violence.