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@PHDTHESIS{Krawutschke:1009665,
author = {Krawutschke, Robin},
othercontributors = {Schmitz, Dagmar and Orlikowsky, Thorsten},
title = {{C}onscientious objection and barriers to abortion within a
specific regional context - an expert interview study},
school = {Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen},
type = {Dissertation},
address = {Aachen},
publisher = {RWTH Aachen University},
reportid = {RWTH-2025-03600},
pages = {1 Online-Ressource : Illustrationen},
year = {2025},
note = {Veröffentlicht auf dem Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen
University; Dissertation, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische
Hochschule Aachen, 2025},
abstract = {Background: While most countries that allow abortion on
women’s request also grant physicians a right to
conscientious objection (CO), this has proven to constitute
a potential barrier to abortion access. Conscientious
objection is regarded as an understudied phenomen on the
effects of which have not yet been examined in Germany.
Based on expert interviews, this study aims to exemplarily
reconstruct the processes of abortion in a mid-sized city in
Germany, and to identify potential effects of conscientious
objection. Methods: Five semi-structured interviews with
experts from all instances involved have been conducted in
April 2020. The experts gave an insight into the medical
care structures with regard to abortion procedures, the
application and manifestations of conscientious objection in
medical practice, and its impact on the care of pregnant
women. A content analysis of the transcribed interviews was
performed. Results: Both the procedural processes and the
effects of conscientious objection are reported to differ
significantly between early abortions performed before the
12th week of pregnancy and late abortions performed at the
second and third trimester. Conscientious objection shows
structural consequences as it is experienced to further
reduce the number of possible providers, especially for
early abortions. On the individual level of the
doctor-patient relationship,the experts confirmed the
neutrality and patient-orientation of the vast majority of
doctors. Still, it is especially late abortions that seem to
be vulnerable to barriers imposed by conscientious objection
in individual medical encounters. Conclusion: Our findings
indicate that conscientious objection possibly imposes
barriers to both early and late abortion provision and
especially in the last procedural steps, which from an
ethical point of view is especially problematic. To oblige
hospitals to partake in abortion provision in Germany has
the potential to prevent negative impacts of conscientious
objection on women’s rights on an individual as well as on
a structural level.},
cin = {524000-2 ; 921910},
ddc = {610},
cid = {$I:(DE-82)524000-2_20140620$},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)11},
doi = {10.18154/RWTH-2025-03600},
url = {https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/record/1009665},
}
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