Knowledge and attitudes concerning abortion practice in urban and rural areas of Thailand.

Because abortions are illegal in Thailand and the number of illegal abortions is 200000 or more a year and rising the present study was undertaken to investigate womens knowledge of abortion methods abortion practice and attitudes toward abortion based on a nationally representative sample of 2652 ever-married women responding to the National Survey of Fertility Mortality and Family Planning in April-May 1979. Data limitations were that this was not an abortion specific survey and reflected limited and general questions; abortion is not discussed openly and responses probably underestimated. The findings proved that age was a significant factor in womens positive attitude toward abortion whereby women less than 30 years approved of abortion in all cases and support declined with increasing age both in urban and rural areas. Most approval of abortion was directed toward those mentally ill or handicapped seeking abortion (74.8% in urban and 67.1% in rural areas). 74.8% in urban and 64.8% in rural areas support abortion for those married women whose pregnancy was dangerous to maternal to child health. In terms of abortion practice 41.5% of urban women thought medical doctors performed abortions and 45.5% of rural women thought quack doctors performed abortions. Both urban and rural respondents answered that abortions were performed in anothers house (38.9& and 37% respectively) then less frequently in a clinic or hospital. No relationship was found between knowledge of contraception and abortion use. Knowledge of dilation and curettage was 27.1% for urban women followed by intrauterine instillation of cream-like medication at 23.5% and massage at 20%. Rural women know more about massage (20%) and intrauterine instillation (16.8% and dilation (13.4%). Neither group was knowledgeable about the use of areca nuts which is practiced in south Thailand. The authors expressed a health concern for women undergoing illegal abortion and recommended change in laws governing abortion which allowed for harm to children and socioeconomic reasons. It was also suggested that pregnancy rape victims would benefit from tougher enforcement. Abortion is thought to reflect unwanted pregnancy not sexual permissiveness.