NDLI: Signs of a turning tide in social norms and attitudes toward abortion in Ethiopia: Findings from a qualitative study in four regions

Content Provider	Springer Nature : BioMed Central
Author	O’Connell, Kathryn A. Kebede, Addisalem T. Menna, Bereket M. Woldetensay, Mengistu T. Fischer, Sara E. Samandari, Ghazaleh Kassaw, Jemal K.
Abstract	Background Despite the 2005 expansion in abortion legal indications in Ethiopia, which provided for abortions in cases of rape, incest, or fetal impairment and other circumstances, nearly half of abortions occurred outside health facilities in 2014. The purpose of this study is to explore and understand the social barriers women face in seeking and obtaining quality safe abortion care, as a means to generate evidence that could be used to improve access to and quality of abortion services. Methods Thirty-two focus group discussions with both men and women were held in four different regions of Ethiopia: Addis Ababa; Amhara; Oromia; and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region. The study team recruited participants (n = 193) aged 18–55 in each region using a purposive sample with snowball recruitment techniques. We conducted discussions in Amharic or Afaan Oromo using a semi-structured guide and transcribed and translated them into English for analysis. We used deductive coding and analysis to categorize findings into emergent themes around stigma, barriers, and the changing nature of attitudes around abortion. Results Despite changes in abortion law, findings show that women with unwanted pregnancies and those seeking abortions are still heavily stigmatized and sanctioned in a number of communities across Ethiopia. Abortion was deemed unacceptable in most cases, though respondents were more tolerant in cases of risk to the mother’s life and of rape. We saw promising indications that changes are taking place in Ethiopian society’s view of abortion, and several participants indicated progress toward a more supportive environment overall for women seeking abortion care. Still, this progress may be limited by variable knowledge of abortion laws and tightly held gender-based social norms, particularly in rural areas. Most participants noted the importance of education and outreach to improve abortion attitudes and norms. Conclusion Policymakers should create further awareness in Ethiopia on the availability of quality abortion services in public health facilities and the indications for legal abortion. Such efforts should be based on principles of gender equality, as a means of ensuring enduring changes for women’s reproductive choice throughout the country.
Related Links	https://reproductive-health-journal.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12978-021-01240-6.pdf
Ending Page	12
Page Count	12
Starting Page	1
File Format	HTM / HTML
ISSN	17424755
DOI	10.1186/s12978-021-01240-6
Journal	Reproductive Health
Issue Number	1
Volume Number	19
Language	English
Publisher	BioMed Central
Publisher Date	2022-06-13
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Reproductive Medicine Public Health Maternal and Child Health Abortion Safe abortion Ethiopia Barriers Stigma Attitudes Pregnancy
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Obstetrics and Gynecology Reproductive Medicine
Journal Impact Factor	3.6/2023
5-Year Journal Impact Factor	4/2023

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1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
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4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
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