Attitudes on abortion among women in Chile: Evidence from population-based data 2006-2013

Background: Chile is one of few countries that criminalizes abortion even in cases of rape or to save the life of a women. When last estimated (in the 1990s), Chile had among the highest abortion rates in the world. Criminalization of abortion endangers women’s health and may be misaligned public opinion. We examined attitudes on abortion rights and trends over time.

Methods: Using population-based surveys conducted among Chilean women in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2013, we examined: 1) an additive index indicating support for abortion rights in the following hypothetical situations: rape, fetal malformation, risk to a woman’s life, economic reasons, whenever a woman decides; and 2) support for each situation separately. We investigated characteristics (including year of survey, age, employment status, educational attainment, household income, religious affiliation, frequency of religious attendance, marital status) associated with increased support for abortion rights using multivariate regression models.

Results: Over 70% of women supported abortion rights in cases of risk to the woman’s life, rape, and fetal malformation, and support for abortion rights increased over time.  Women who were single, had no religious affiliation, had completed secondary education, and those with increasing income were more likely to support abortion rights, while those who were widows, affiliated with a religion other than Catholic, and attended church more frequently were less likely to do so.

Conclusions: Our study is the first to examine public opinions on abortion in Chile and trends over time. Results indicate that current policies are misaligned with public opinion.