[Obstetrician-gynecologist's attitudes toward legal and voluntary interruption of pregnancy]

Objective In 2006, Colombia decriminalized legal and voluntary interruption of pregnancy (LVIP) in situations in which: the mother's life or health is in danger, fetal life-threatening malformations exist, or when the pregnancy is the result of rape, non-consensual artificial insemination, or incest. Difficulties reported in the introduction of this practice are related to the attitudes of doctors. Obstetricians usually are the doctors who attend these cases; an assessment of their attitudes regarding this situation was performed. Method Qualitative and quantitative. Self-administered anonymous questionnaires were applied to obstetricians who work in Bucaramanga on January 30th, 2012. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews were performed to a sub-sample of that population. Results Important deficits in the knowledge of legislation regarding LVIP and conscientious objection were found. Life-threatening for mother, and fetal life-threatening malformations were the most accepted items and the most likely to be practiced. The item "pregnancy secondary to rape" although accepted, was the most objected to for reasons of conscience. Conclusion The inclusion of gestational age as a regulatory criterion for LVIP was suggested by the interviewees. The joint effect of the findings mentioned above, and both administrative and logistic difficulties in the Colombian health system constitute barriers for patients in cases of LVIP.