Emotional conflict and compromise experienced by midwives caring for women who have undergone an induced second-trimester abortion

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to clarify the process by which midwives cope with any conflicts that may arise while they are providing care to women who have undergone an induced abortion in their second-trimester.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 midwives and the data were analyzed using the Saiki version of the Grounded Theory Approach (GTA).
Results: The midwives tend to deal with the conflicts that they experience during caregiving through the following process: it begins with “conflict occurs in care,” followed by “realizing the feelings of women,” “feeling insufficient in providing care,” “understanding the conflicts faced by women,” “recapturing individuality,” “acknowledging the existence of the fetus,” “respecting the women’s decision to have an abortion,” “remembering the experience of the abortion,” “guiding women,” “wishing for them to live positively,” and “hoping women do not have to undergo another abortion.”
Conclusion: The data analysis revealed a phenomenon named “respecting the women’s decision to have an abortion” which helped the midwives deal with the conflicts they experienced while caring for these women who have undergone induced second-trimester abortions.