Healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards the termination of pregnancy

A qualitative analysis of survey data in Northern Ireland

Bibliographic Data

ID15098535
AuthorsNóirín Macnamara (0000-0002-6220-571X, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, corresponding author), Fiona Bloomer (0000-0003-3347-6403, School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences, Ulster University, Belfast, UK), Leanne Morgan (0009-0009-9773-3721, Southern Health and Social Care Trust, Portadown, UK), Ralph Roberts (South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, Dundonald, UK)
Year2024
Volume26
Issue11
Pages1396-1412
Publication date2024-11-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCulture Health & Sexuality (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1369-1058 • E-ISSN: 1464-5351
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13691058.2024.2324004
PMID38478394
OpenAlexW4392762803
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited23

Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in October 2019. Following decriminalisation, the new regulations set out legal provision for abortion up until 12 weeks, with conditions thereafter. This cross-sectional descriptive survey, conducted in late 2019 in Northern Ireland, gathered the views of health professionals on decriminalisation, and their willingness to provide abortion services. This article provides a thematic analysis of answers to narrative questions from the online survey, and identifies priority areas of engagement with healthcare professionals. We assess how healthcare professional roles and responsibilities, abortion procedures, the foetus, and women and pregnant people were discursively constructed by respondents who are willing or unwilling to provide abortion services in Northern Ireland. We identify a narrow understanding of 'harm', and gendered norms of women as irresponsible or duplicitous, as inhibitory factors to the normalisation of abortion services in Northern Ireland

Abortion · Ethnology · Harm · Health care · Health professionals · Narrative · Northern ireland · Political science · Pregnancy · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse · Law · Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions · Medicine · Nursing · Reproductive Health and Contraception

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