Attitudes of Czech women toward induced abortions

Czech version

Authors: K. Hollá ¹; P. Weiss ¹; V. Unzeitig ²; D. Cibula ³
Authors‘ workplace: Sexuologický ústav 1. LF UK a VFN, Praha, přednosta doc. MUDr. J. Zvěřina, CSc. ¹; Gynekologicko-porodnická klinika LF MU, Brno, přednosta prof. MUDr. P. Ventruba, DrSc. ²; Gynekologicko-porodnická klinika 1. LF UK a VFN, Praha, přednosta prof. MUDr. A. Martan, DrSc. ³
Published in: Ceska Gynekol 2009; 74(2): 92-96
Category: Original Article

Overview

Objective:
Survey of attitudes of Czech women toward abortions.

Design:
Representative survey.

Methods:
Anonymous questionnare survey of the sample of 1011 Czech women aged 15 to 50.

Results:
Number of induced abortions significantly increases with age; women with one or more children frequently undergo induced abortion; women using hormonal contraception have significantly less incidence of induced abortion in their case history; independently of age or place of residence Czech women have liberal attitudes towards the possibility for induced abortion, whereas the religious beliefs significantly increase the restrictive attitudes towards induced abortion.

Conclusion:
In spite of the very liberal attitudes of Czech women toward induced abortions their number is constatntly decreasing – probably as a result of the increasing number of hormonal contraception users.

Key words:
induced abortion, contraception, attitudes, incidence.

Sources

1. The Australian Survey of Social Attitudes. Australian National University, ACSPRI, Centre for Social Research, 2003.

2. Cook, EA., Jelen, TG., Wilcox, C. Between two absolutes: Public Opinion and the Politics of Abortion Boulder, CO: Westview, 1992.

3. Hoffman, JP., Miller, AS. A social and political attitudes among religious groups: Convergence and divergence over time. J Sci Study Religion, 1997, 36, p. 52-70.

4. Chodounská, H. Potraty v roce 2004. Aktuální informace Ústavu zdravotnických informací a statistiky České republiky, 2005.

5. Kulovaný, E., Weiss, P., Zvěřina, J. Sexuální chování žadatelek o hormonální kontracepci a žadatelek o umělé přerušení těhotenství. Čes Gynek, 1996, 61, s. 27-31.

6. Michael, RT., Gagnon, JH., Laumann, EO., Kolata, G. Sex in America. Boston, Massachusetts: Little, Brown and Company, 1994.

7. Petersen, LR. Religion, plausibility structures, and education’s effects on attitudes toward abortion. J Sci Study Religion, 2001, 40, p. 187-204.

8. Štembera, Z., Velebil, P. Development of reproductive health in women in the Czech Republic 1993 – 1997. Relation between contraception and induced abortion. Čes Gynek, 2000, 65, s. 250-256.

9. Štembera, Z., Velebil, P. Prognosis of the reproduction health care in the Czech Republic until 2010: II. Planned parenthood, 2004, 69, Suppl 1, p. 68-77.

10. Weiss, P., Zvěřina, J. Sexuální postoje obyvatel České republiky: výsledky národního výzkumu. ČS Psychol, 1997, 41, s. 208-215.

11. Weiss, P., Zvěřina, J. Faktory ovlivňující postoje české populace k umělému přerušení těhotenství. Čes Gynek, 1998, 63, s. 411-413.

12. Weiss, P., Zvěřina, J. Sexuální chování v ČR – situace a trendy. Praha: Portál, 2001.

13. Weiss, P., Zvěřina, J. Sexuální chování v ČR. Praha: DEMA, 2004.

14. Welch, MR., Leege, DC., Cavendish, JC. Attitudes toward abortion among U.S. Catholics: another case of symbolic politics? Social Science Quarterly, 1995, 76, p. 142-157.

15. Wilcox, C., Riches, J. Pills in the public’s mind: RU 486 and the framing of the abortion issue. Forthcoming. Women & Politics, 2002.

16. Wilcox, C., Jelen, TG. Causes and consequences of public attitudes toward abortion: A review and research agenda. Annual meeting of the Western Political Science Association, Long Beach, CA, March 22-24, 2002.

17. Zvěřina, J. Lékařská sexuologie. Jinočany: H + H, 1991.