Citation:
Date Presented:
February 3Abstract:
In spite of a liberalization trend of abortion laws throughout the world since the mid-twentieth century, Ecuador—alongside most other countries in the Latin American region—has maintained stringent restrictions on abortion. Global studies find, however, that criminalizing abortion does not reduce its numbers but rather increases the rate of clandestine procedures. According to government data, abortion continues to be a leading cause of morbidity for women in Ecuador in 2011, with over 23,000 cases each year. In the case of women who suffer from complications following a clandestine abortion, physicians are legally obligated to treat such patients, yet their understanding and opinion of the law can affect not just the treatment they provide, but their decision on whether to report such women to the authorities. In dichotomy to the legal mandate to denounce a crime stands the physician’s legal duty to protect patient confidentiality. For the main part of my research, I conducted semi-structured interviews with OB/GYNs that explored their understanding, opinion, and enactment of current laws pertaining to the medical and judicial duty they have in cases dealing with abortions. Through qualitative analysis, I am working to discern how these medical professional conceptualize their legal duty when facing these situations and how the notions of medical responsibility, motherhood, and personhood influence their understanding.