Choice Ireland

Irish Medical News
20th July 2009
by Nick O'Donoghue

Religious beliefs and educational background play significant roles in defining the attitudes of medical students towards abortion, a new study has revealed.

Research to assess the attitudes to abortion of medical students at Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and the University of Oslo (UiO) found the Northern Irish students were strongly opposed to abortion, while their Norwegian peers were supportive.

The study, published in the Journal of Medical Ethics, noted that 78 per cent of the UiO students were pro-abortion compared with less than 15 per cent of QUB students of this view.

Researchers used an anonymous questionnaire asking students about whether they had a religious affiliation, if they had witnessed an abortion during their training and their views on the procedure in a number of circumstances.

Findings from the study noted more than 95 per cent of QUB students associated themselves as being from a religious group, while almost half their UiO peers said they had no religious affiliation, a factor that has been linked with attitudes toward abortion.

Furthermore, the study highlighted the results from previous studies, which had shown medical students who had seen an abortion during their training were more supportive of the procedure. Almost 75 per cent of UiO students said they had witnessed one during their education compared with nine per cent of those in QUB.

The attitudes towards abortion also reflect the laws on the procedure in the two countries, with abortion being allowed in Norway on request in the first 12 weeks of gestation, while abortion is not available in the North.

"There were significant differences in the students' attitudes to abortion, reflecting differences in religious, legal and educational experiences," the researchers concluded.