Should Doctors Be the Judges? Ambiguous Policies on Legal Abortion in Nicaragua

• Published in: Reproductive health matters Vol. 12; no. 24; pp. 18 - 26
• Main Authors: McNaughton, Heathe Luz, Mitchell, Ellen MH, Blandon, Marta Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2004; Taylor & Francis; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Abortion; abortion law and policy; Abortion, Legal - legislation & jurisprudence; Abortion, Legal - utilization; Abortion, Therapeutic - legislation & jurisprudence; Adult; advocacy and political process; Data Collection; Decision making; Doctors; Female; Gynecology; Health policy; Humans; Latin America; Legal abortion; Legal aspects; Legislation; Male; Middle Aged; Nicaragua; obstetrician-gynaecologists; Obstetrics; Patient Advocacy; Physicians; Policy Making; Practice Patterns, Physicians; Pregnancy; Reproductive health; Therapeutic abortion; Violence against women; Women's health; Womens health; Nicaragua; therapeutic abortion; advocacy and political process; obstetrician–gynaecologists; abortion law and policy; Nicaragua

Nicaragua's Penal Code permits “therapeutic abortion” without defining the circumstances that warrant it. In the absence of a legally clear definition, therapeutic abortion is variously considered legal only to save the woman's life or also to protect the health of the woman, and in cases...