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  • Title: Husbands' involvement in abortion in Vietnam.
    Author: Johansson A, Nga NT, Huy TQ, Dat DD, Holmgren K.
    Journal: Stud Fam Plann; 1998 Dec; 29(4):400-13. PubMed ID: 9919633.
    Abstract:
    This study analyzes the involvement of men in abortion in Vietnam, where induced abortion is legal and abortion rates are among the highest in the world. Twenty men were interviewed in 1996 about the role they played in their wives' abortions and about their feelings and ethical views concerning the procedure. The results showed that both husbands and wives considered the husband to be the main decisionmaker regarding family size, which included the decision to have an abortion, but that, in fact, some women had undergone an abortion without consulting their husbands in advance. Parents and in-laws were usually not consulted; the couples thought they might object to the decision on moral grounds. Respondents' ethical perspectives on abortion are discussed. When faced with an unwanted pregnancy, the husbands adopted an ethics of care and responsibility toward family and children, although some felt that abortion was immoral. The study highlights the importance of understanding husbands' perspectives on their responsibilities and rights in reproductive decisionmaking and their ethical and other concerns related to abortion. This study explored men's attitudes and ethical views about abortion and their decision-making role in their wives' abortion in Viet Nam. Data were obtained from a 1996 survey conducted in the province of Quang Ninh and the towns of Uong Bi and La Hong. The total fertility rate in the study area was 2.3 children/woman. The total induced abortion rate was 2.5/woman, which is the highest in Viet Nam. The sample included 20 women drawn from a random sample of 300 women from 2 public abortion clinics. Findings indicate that the mean age of the 20 husbands was 37 years. Most came from large families with 6 children. No one was illiterate. The mean age at marriage was 26 years. The mean interval to first birth was 2 years. All had at least 1 child. The 20 women averaged 2.4 abortions/woman: 2.7 in La Hong and 1.9 in Uong Bi. Three case histories--an old man's, a middle-aged man's, and a young man's--are reported. The old man, who lived through the war years, had 2 sons and a daughter. His wife, after the last birth, had 1 miscarriage and 3 abortions. She removed the IUD due to side effects. The old man desired no more children. The middle-aged man viewed too many children as self-defeating. The young man thought life was too hard to support a large family. Reasons for abortion were mainly economic ones, protection of women's health, and adherence to the two-child policy. About 50% made the abortion decision together. Ethical views ranged from disapproval and deep moral concern to a neutral modern view. The concern for living children and family welfare took precedence.
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