SAFE ABORTIONS IN AN ILLEGAL CONTEXT - PERCEPTIONS FROM SERVICE PROVIDERS IN BELGIUM

Until April 1990 abortion was illegal in Belgium all circumstances. Ho wever, a small group of health professionals had long provided high-qu ality abortion services in outpatient facilities and in hospitals. Thi s study is a qualitative analysis of perceptions among providers of sa fe abortion in Belgium before and after it was made legal there. The p roviders' personal, psychological, and ethical reactions to abortion a re investigated, as well as their opinions on how their activities sho uld be organized in order to minimize problems. Standardized questionn aires with closed and open questions were used; 143 questionnaires wer e completed. Emotional reactions were reported as being the most diffi cult aspects of practicing abortion. The experience of Belgian practit ioners is of value for health professionals working in a legally restr icted setting who are willing to assume some judicial risks to facilit ate legal change while demonstrating the public health utility of low- cost, safe abortion.