Population Council Research that makes a difference

Abstract

Where does the Mexican public stand on abortion? Assessing abortion public opinion among Mexico City residents before and after the passage of the groundbreaking law legalizing abortion 
Presentation at Population Association of America Annual Meeting, Detroit, 30 April
Garcia,Sandra G.; Wilson,Katherine; Diaz-Olavarrieta,Claudia; Mendoza Melendez,Migel Angel; Sanhueza,Patricio
Publication date: 2009

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On 24 April 2007, Mexico City legislatures approved a groundbreaking law legalizing elective first-trimester abortions. We conducted public opinion studies with household probability samples of Mexico City residents just before and one year after (April 2008) the passage of this vanguard law. We performed univariate and bivariate analysis (SPSS 14.0) to assess change in abortion knowledge and opinion between years and associations between knowledge, opinion, and sociodemographic characteristics post-reform. The pre-reform and post-reform surveys had 800 and 1,010 participants, respectively (±4.2 and ±2.33; 95% confidence). There was a statistically significant increase in knowledge (from 73% to 82%) and favorable opinion of the new law (from 38% to 63%) post-reform (p<0.05). Greater education was significantly associated with more favorable abortion opinion post-reform (p<0.05). Abortion public opinion research can be a valuable tool for advocates, decisionmakers, and abortion service providers, especially in countries reforming their abortion laws.

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