Legal abortion: Doctors’ reports at a reference hospital

Abstract Although Brazilian legislation allows abortion in cases of rape, risk of maternal mortality, and fetal anencephaly, the medical professional holds the authority to diagnose and advise on abortion and the right to claim conscientious objection to refuse to perform the procedure. This article aims to analyze the accounts of six gynecologists-obstetricians interviewed at a hospital specializing in abortion procedures to reflect on their perceptions. We assessed that sociocultural implications strain individual perspectives on victimization and abortion. Moreover, the multidisciplinary medical practice conditions, given the division of roles within the hospital structure, affect service delivery and are incompatible with academic training. Nevertheless, understanding the crime seems to prevail in favor of care, respecting the preservation of the reference service in attending to the victims of this violence.