Unheard voices: a cross-sectional study on the perception of Sri Lankan female factory workers towards the Abortion Law

Introduction: Induced abortion is restricted in Sri Lanka and is only permitted to save the life of the mother. However, many women undergo abortion through unsafe ways, putting themselves at risk of complications and incomplete abortion. Among the most vulnerable to unintended pregnancies and induced abortions are female factory workers (FFWs).
Objectives: To explore the knowledge and perception of FFWs towards Sri Lanka’s abortion laws
Methods: A structured questionnaire was administered by a team of trained interviewers among randomly selected 608 FFWs of reproductive age using a multi-stage cluster sampling approach after receiving written informed consent.
Results: The study revealed that the FFWs had limited knowledge and conservative attitudes towards the abortion law. Surprisingly, a small proportion (10.9%) of the respondents were aware of the legal circumstances under which abortions are permitted. Majority of the respondents (64.8%) did not have comprehensive knowledge and they believed that providing treatment to a woman who had complications due to unsafe abortion is a violation of the law. Around half of the respondents supported legalizing abortion in cases of rape (49.6%), incest (45.6%) and lethal foetal abnormalities (75.2%). However, only a small proportion of the respondents urged in favour of legalizing induced abortion for other reasons such as contraceptive failure (13.7%) and economic hardship (9.1%). Furthermore, a mere 5.3% of the respondents agreed to legalize abortion on request.
Conclusions & Recommendations: FFWs possess limited awareness and conservative attitudes towards the abortion law. More focused information, communication and education interventions are needed to handle the issue.