Acceptability and perception of Kisumu city college students on induced abortion and its legalization in Kenya

Abstract

Objective: This study was designed to determine factors influencing acceptability and perception of college students on induced abortion and its legalization.
Method: The study was a cross-sectional descriptive survey where both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods were used. The survey was carried out in 414 college students both male and female aged between 20-35 years within Kisumu city, Nyanza Province of Western Kenya. A questionnaire was used to collect quantifiable data while focus group discussion was used to collect rich information on participant’s views and opinions on induced abortion and its legalization.
Results: The study showed that 75.5% of the students did not approve of legalization of abortion. Many of the students viewed abortion negatively mentioning various reasons, 21.1% said it is bad and dangerous, 36.6% said it is sinful and ungodly, 19.8% said it is risky killing and destructive and 10.7% said it should be outlawed completely. Among the ones who viewed abortion positively 3.9% said its bad but solves issues of unplanned pregnancies, 4.1% said its good if done for medical reasons while 3.6% said it is useful for preventing unwanted outcomes.
Conclusion: This study has therefore shown that most of the college students view abortion negatively and this can be exploited in order to reduce maternal deaths caused by unsafe abortions.

Key words: Acceptability, perception, induced abortion, legalization, Kisumu