Signs of a turning tide in social norms and attitudes toward abortion in Ethiopia: Findings from a qualitative study in four regions.

Background: Despite the 2005 expansion in abortion legal indications in Ethiopia, which provided for abortions in cases of rape, incest, or fetal impairment and other circumstances, nearly half of abortions occurred outside health facilities in 2014. The purpose of this study is to explore and understand the social barriers women face in seeking and obtaining quality safe abortion care, as a means to generate evidence that could be used to improve access to and quality of abortion services.

Methods: Thirty-two focus group discussions with both men and women were held in four different regions of Ethiopia: Addis Ababa; Amhara; Oromia; and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region.