[Women's opinions on circumstances under which hospitals should perform abortions].

Little is known about the opinion of Brazilian women on induced abortion. One objective of a study carried out in the region of Campinas, São Paulo State, was to learn whether women agreed as to specific circumstances under which hospitals should provide abortions. A total of 1838 women of childbearing age and who had been pregnant at least once were interviewed. Single women and those who had had at least one induced abortion were the ones who most agreed with hospitals performing abortions under the circumstances presented. The circumstances most accepted were rape, the woman's life being at risk, and fetal malformation. A smaller percentage of women were in favor of abortion when the reasons affected the woman but could not be observed in a direct and objective way by others.