CONOCIMIENTO ACTITUDES Y PRÁCTICAS SOBRE EL ABORTO VOLUNTARIO Y TERAPÉUTICO EN ESPECIALISTAS EN GINECOLOGÍA Y OBSTETRICIA QUE LABORAN EN HOSPITALES PÚBLICOS DEL CANTÓN CUENCA.

The penal integral code says that induced abortion is not punishable when it is performed to avoid a hazard on the women health and when the pregnancy is a consequence of a rape to a woman who suffers mental disabilities. OBJECTIVE: This research objective is to identify the knowledge, attitudes and practices of gynecologists from public hospitals in Cuenca on voluntary and therapeutic abortion; also it aims to identify the correlation between: age, gender, and years of practice and religious conceptions of gynecologists about the knowledge of the legislation on abortion and openness to the voluntary and therapeutic abortion. METHODOLOGY: A total of 27 gynecologists who work in public hospitals in Cuenca were surveyed; professionals who are working in centers with internship were selected because they may have a higher contact with patients that require therapeutic abortions, or have seen patients with induced abortions. RESULTS: The sample was composed of 27 specialists in gynecology and obstetrics, with an average age of 37 years, the 77.8% male and 22.2% female; the average time of professional practice was 7.36; the 91.7% of professionals profess a religion, the 88.9% consider the religion how something important in their life. The 81.5% of respondents know that therapeutic abortion is legal in Ecuador; however, the 29.6% can quote correctly the grounds on which abortion is not punishable. The 63% of participants believe that abortion should be decriminalized in Ecuador in all grounds. The 22.2% (n = 6) of the professionals surveyed have made a therapeutic abortion; the 81% of respondents, has seen a patient with an induced abortion during the last year. In this research the association between age, gender, years of practice and religious conceptions of gynecologists, knowledge of legislation about abortion and its opening on voluntary and therapeutic abortion could not be proven. CONCLUSIONS: The knowledge about the grounds on which abortion is not punishable, it is low among gynecologists of public health services; a small percentage of them have experience in performing a therapeutic abortion, however, the 63% have a positive attitude towards the decriminalization of abortion in all its grounds.