Pharmacists' beliefs about abortion and RU-486. 1996

V Giannetti
Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pa., USA.

The author conducted a survey of pharmacists' beliefs regarding abortion and mifepristone (RU-486) to determine pharmacists' perceptions of the ethical dilemmas posed by the use of abortifacients in the United States and to determine whether and how these ethical dilemmas affect practice. The sample was nonrandom and included religiously oriented pharmacists from a variety of practice settings, approximately two-thirds of whom were women. The results indicated a plurality of beliefs about abortion rarely evident in the public debate. Although the sample supported pharmacists' right to refuse to dispense abortifacients, slightly more than half (51%) of the respondents stated that they themselves would not refuse to dispense abortifacients. Most respondents (56%) believed that abortion should remain a legal option, with slightly fewer respondents (50%) supporting the position that RU-486 should be made available in the United States. Support for abortion was proportionate to the gravity of the reason underlying the decision to abort, with the sample tending to avoid absolutistic positions. These findings tend to dispel the stereotypes and myths regarding abortion beliefs in that two-thirds of the sample were Catholic and 96% of the sample rated religion as extremely or somewhat significant in their life.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D010595 Pharmacists Those persons legally qualified by education and training to engage in the practice of pharmacy. Clinical Pharmacists,Community Pharmacists,Retail Pharmacists,Clinical Pharmacist,Community Pharmacist,Pharmacist,Pharmacist, Clinical,Pharmacist, Community,Pharmacist, Retail,Pharmacists, Clinical,Pharmacists, Community,Pharmacists, Retail,Retail Pharmacist
D011247 Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Gestation,Pregnancies
D011795 Surveys and Questionnaires Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions. Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D012068 Religion and Medicine The interrelationship of medicine and religion. Religiosity Coping,Spiritual Coping,Medicine and Religion,Coping, Religiosity,Coping, Spiritual,Religiosity Copings
D004994 Ethics, Pharmacy The principles of proper professional conduct concerning the rights and duties of the pharmacist, relations with patients and fellow practitioners, as well as actions of the pharmacist in health care and interpersonal relations with patient families. (From Stedman, 25th ed) Ethics, Pharmaceutic,Ethics, Pharmaceutical,Pharmaceutic Ethics,Pharmaceutical Ethics,Pharmacy Ethics,Ethic, Pharmaceutic,Ethic, Pharmaceutical,Ethic, Pharmacy,Pharmaceutic Ethic,Pharmaceutical Ethic,Pharmacy Ethic
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000021 Abortifacient Agents, Steroidal Steroidal compounds with abortifacient activity. Steroid Abortifacients,Abortifacients, Steroid,Agents, Steroidal Abortifacient,Steroidal Abortifacient Agents
D000028 Abortion, Induced Intentional removal of a fetus from the uterus by any of a number of techniques. (POPLINE, 1978) Embryotomy,Abortion (Induced),Abortion Failure,Abortion History,Abortion Rate,Abortion Technics,Abortion Techniques,Abortion, Drug-Induced,Abortion, Rivanol,Abortion, Saline-Solution,Abortion, Soap-Solution,Anti-Abortion Groups,Fertility Control, Postconception,Induced Abortion,Previous Abortion,Abortion Failures,Abortion Histories,Abortion Rates,Abortion Technic,Abortion Technique,Abortion, Drug Induced,Abortion, Previous,Abortion, Saline Solution,Abortion, Soap Solution,Abortions (Induced),Abortions, Drug-Induced,Abortions, Induced,Abortions, Previous,Abortions, Rivanol,Abortions, Saline-Solution,Abortions, Soap-Solution,Anti Abortion Groups,Anti-Abortion Group,Drug-Induced Abortion,Drug-Induced Abortions,Embryotomies,Failure, Abortion,Failures, Abortion,Group, Anti-Abortion,Groups, Anti-Abortion,Histories, Abortion,History, Abortion,Induced Abortions,Postconception Fertility Control,Previous Abortions,Rate, Abortion,Rates, Abortion,Rivanol Abortion,Rivanol Abortions,Saline-Solution Abortion,Saline-Solution Abortions,Soap-Solution Abortion,Soap-Solution Abortions,Technic, Abortion,Technics, Abortion,Technique, Abortion,Techniques, Abortion

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