Abortion in Portugal: men and women’s practices and values
(a comparative perspective)
D. Vilar (1), A.N. Almeida (2), I. Andre´ (3), P. Lalanda (4)
Associac¸a˜o para o Planeamento da Famý´lia, Lisbon,
Portugal (1); Instituto Cieˆncias Sociais, University of Lisbon, Portugal (2);
Dept. Geography, University of Lisbon, Portugal (3); Escola Superior Enfermagem,
Ac¸ores-Ponta Delgada, Portugal (4)
Introduction and Objectives: In the EU, Portugal has been
one of the most resistant countries concerning legal and safe abortion. In a
context where other reproductive health issues were significantly improved
during the last decades, abortion is still a controversial theme and illegal
abortion is a social drama. Our paper is part of a major social science research
on ‘Fertility and contraception: men and women life courses’ (1998–2004).
It aims at characterizing, typifying and interpreting Portuguese women and men
practices and values concerning abortion.
Design and methods: A double methodological approach is
used: an extensive analysis based on a national survey about family and
fertility (Inque´rito a` Fecundidade e Famý´lia, INE, 1997); an intensive
analysis based on in-depth interviews to 150 women and 90 men in fertile age- a
qualitative sample selected from different generations, regions, social
backgrounds and family conditions. The extensive analyses allows a general
overview about the prevalence and patterns of abortion in the country; the
intensive analyses provides a typological and comprehensive view of the same
subject.
Results: the national survey evidences the fact that
abortion is an event mainly affecting older women with 2 or more children, in a
long lasting conjugal relationship, using some form of unsafe contraception.
Social background and religion are not relevant distinctive traits. The extreme
diversity of values concerning abortion, even within the sub-groups of
supporters or oppositors of legal abortion, is another relevant result.
Opposition to abortion relies in two main values: personal responsibility,
intra-uterine life defence; support to legal abortion relies, on the contrary,
in a complex and more flexible constellation of arguments (eg.: abortion as an
exceptional and accidental event, the importance of a wished parenthood, the
respect for intimate personal decision, the risk for women health and children’s
future). A traditional pattern remains: men very often delegate contraception
and abortion decisions in women.
Conclusions: 1) there is an evident gap in Portugal
between current legislation and empirical evidence concerning practices and
values on abortion 2) health professionals should be aware of the diversity of
behaviours and perspectives that women and men may have when they face an
unexpected pregnancy 3) multidisciplinary research is a crucial instrument to
improve policies and professional skills in the sexual and reproductive health
domains.
