Abstract
Background
Two qualitative studies have been conducted between 2002 and 2009 in Poland and Brazil,
two different geopolitical settings in which the Catholic Church has had a significant
political influence and where abortion is highly restricted. In both countries, struggles
for abortion rights have played an important role in challenging the current restrictive
policies and bringing attention to the plight of women unable to obtain abortions.
This article examines the political role that physicians play in these contestations,
drawing on some findings of two larger qualitative studies.
Methods
In Poland semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 physicians in Warsaw and
Krakow and with 55 women aged 18 to 45 in Gdańsk. In Brazil questionnaires were administered
and semi-structured interviews conducted with 22 obstetrician-gynecologists and 23
health professionals in two public maternity hospitals in Salvador da Bahia.
Findings
This article argues that gynecologists' perspectives and practices not only reflect
or heed religious precepts on reproductive rights, but are also deeply influenced
by inadequate medical training and by the fear of being prosecuted or stigmatized,
especially in Brazil. The political non-engagement of physicians in Poland is driven
by the lack of abortion rights discourse in the public arena, poor links with women's
rights groups, and the lack of political unity within the medical community.
Conclusions
Comparisons between Brazil and Poland ultimately suggest that strong liaisons between
physicians and the feminist movement influence physicians' attitudes and political
engagement and are most promising in abortion rights advocacy efforts.
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Biography
Silvia De Zordo, PhD, is a Marie Curie Fellow and a Visiting Researcher at Goldsmiths College, University of London. Her current research examines gynecologists' experiences and attitudes towards abortion and conscientious objection in Italy and in the UK.
Biography
Joanna Mishtal, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Central Florida. Her current research, situated in Ireland and at the European Union, examines the role of conscience-based objection in the provision of reproductive health services.
Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
January 20,
2011
Received in revised form:
January 20,
2011
Received:
October 21,
2010
Identification
Copyright
Published by Elsevier Inc.
