Introduction Abortion became decriminalised in Northern Ireland in October 2019. Until that point there existed no evidence concerning the views of health professionals on decriminalisation or on their willingness to be involved in abortion care. The purpose of this study was to address this lack of evidence, including all categories of health professionals working in obstetrics and gynaecology units in Northern Ireland. Methods The online survey was targeted at medical, nursing and midwifery staff working in the obstetrics and gynaecology units in each Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust in Northern Ireland. The survey was issued via clinical directors in each Trust using the REDCap platform. Results The findings showed widespread support for decriminalisation of abortion up until 24 weeks’ gestation (n=169, 54%). The majority of clinicians stated they were willing to provide abortions in certain circumstances (which were undefined) (n=188, 60% medical abortions; n=157, 50% surgical abortions). Despite regional variation, the results show that there are sufficient numbers of clinicians to provide a service within each HSC Trust. The results indicate that many clinicians who report a religious affiliation are also supportive of decriminalisation (n=46, 51% Catholic; n=53, 45% Protestant) and are willing to provide care, countering the assumption that those of faith would all raise conscientious objections to service provision. Conclusions The findings of this study are very encouraging for the development, implementation and delivery of local abortion care within HSC Trusts in Northern Ireland and should be of value in informing commissioners and providers about the design of a service model and its underpinning training programmes.

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北爱尔兰的堕胎规定：在妇产科工作的卫生专业人员的观点

引言 堕胎于 2019 年 10 月在北爱尔兰非刑事化。在此之前，没有证据表明卫生专业人员对非刑事化或他们愿意参与堕胎护理的看法。本研究的目的是解决缺乏证据的问题，包括在北爱尔兰妇产科工作的所有类别的卫生专业人员。方法 在线调查的对象是在北爱尔兰每个健康与社会护理 (HSC) 信托基金的妇产科工作的医疗、护理和助产士。该调查是通过每个信托基金的临床主任使用 REDCap 平台发布的。结果 调查结果显示，在妊娠 24 周之前，普遍支持堕胎合法化（n=169, 54%）。大多数临床医生表示他们愿意在某些情况下（未定义）提供流产（n=188，60% 药物流产；n=157，50% 手术流产）。尽管存在地区差异，但结果表明，有足够数量的临床医生可以在每个 HSC 信托机构内提供服务。结果表明，许多报告有宗教信仰的临床医生也支持去罪化（n=46, 51% 天主教徒；n=53, 45% 新教徒）并愿意提供护理，这与那些有信仰的人都会提高出于良心拒绝提供服务。结论 这项研究的结果对发展非常令人鼓舞，