Experiences and Attitudes of Young Men towards Abortion in a Semi-Urban Community in Rivers State; Nigeria
port harcourt med. J
; 3(2): 160-166, 2009.
Article
in En
| AIM
| ID: biblio-1274102
Responsible library:
CG1.1
ABSTRACT
Background:
Most of the studies on abortion focused on the roles and responsibility of women; with very little attention given to the role played by men.Aim:
To assess the experiences and attitudes of young men towards abortion in Mgbede Egbema; a semi-urban community in Rivers State; south-south Nigeria.Methods:
A descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed; using a structured questionnaire and focus group discussion as study methods. The questionnaire was administered to all the registered male members of the community's youth association; while the focus group discussion was held with members of the youth association's vigilante committee; to gain more insight into the responses contained in the answered questionnaires.Results:
A total of 181 questionnaires were administered and retrieved. The average age of the respondents was 23.1 years; and they were mostly single (77.9); with secondary school education (65.8); and combined Christianity with traditional religion (71.3). Almost all (93.4) had a girl friend; but the responsibility of preventing unwanted pregnancy rested almost entirely on the girl (75.7); and in the event of an unwanted pregnancy; 85.1of the respondents would recourse to abortion. Most of the respondents (74.6) would advice their sister to procure an abortion in the event of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy; but only 20.0of them would like to be actively involved in the process of procuring the abortion. All the respondents knew that abortion was illegal in Nigeria; but 47.5thought that the offence did not include the woman; while 29.8thought the offence was committed by the abortion provider alone. Most (64.6) of the respondents felt abortion should not be freely available; but 90.6of them would want the offenders to be prosecuted only in the event of serious complications; or death.Conclusion:
There is a broad support for abortion among the respondents; but fears still exists that liberalization might lead to increase demand for the procedure. A review of the nation's abortion law is therefore recommended
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Index:
AIM
Main subject:
Rural Population
/
Attitude
/
Abortion
/
Criminals
/
Men
Type of study:
Observational_studies
/
Qualitative_research
/
Risk_factors_studies
Language:
En
Journal:
Port harcourt med. J
Year:
2009
Type:
Article