{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T23:58:12Z","timestamp":1788998292170,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,25]],"date-time":"2025-03-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1742860800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"\nBackground<\/jats:title>\nThe topic of induced abortion has been a subject of extensive debate among various moral and religious frameworks and continues to pose significant challenges within the domains of medical ethics and policy formulation. In the context of Iran, an Islamic republic, the approach to induced abortion has been notably influenced by historical, social, and political dynamics. Following the implementation of the \u2018Rejuvenation of the Population and Protection of the Family Law (RPPF)\u2019 in 2021, access to induced abortion and contraceptive measures has been markedly restricted as a response to concerns surrounding population decline.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n\nObjective<\/jats:title>\nThis study aims to assess the attitudes of Iranian medical and health science students toward induced abortion as future executives of health programs.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n\nMethods<\/jats:title>\nThis cross-sectional study administered a structured questionnaire for self-completion to medical and health science students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, including medical students, obstetrics and gynecology residents, and nursing and midwifery students. The scoring of responses was between \u201212 and +\u200912, with the score ranging from 0 to positive, 12 showing an attitude negative to induced abortion, and the score below zero to \u201212 reflecting a positive attitude toward induced abortion.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n\nResults<\/jats:title>\nA total of 237 participants were involved in the study, with 52% being female, and 60% originally from cities other than Tehran. The median (min, max) of the total score of the attitude toward induced abortion was \u20125.0 (12,10). The mean score varied by the age of the respondents, with \u20124.0 (\u201212, 10) for those aged above 30 years compared to \u20125.0 (\u201212,10) for those aged below 30 years (P-value\u2009= 0.043). The score was 0.0 (\u201212,10) for married compared to \u20126.0 (\u201212,10) among single participants (P-value\u2009<\u20090.001). The score for participants who agreed with RPPF was 0.0 (\u201212,10), compared to a more positive attitude of \u20128.0 (\u201212,9) for participants who disagreed (P-value\u2009< 0.001).<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n\nConclusion<\/jats:title>\nIranian medical and health science students support induced abortion before 16 weeks of gestation. The attitudes of medical students who are future providers of health care and implementers of RPPF and other health laws are, therefore, at variance with current laws and policies.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0320302","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,25]],"date-time":"2025-03-25T20:45:57Z","timestamp":1742935557000},"page":"e0320302","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Induced abortion in Iran, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, the law and the diverging attitude of medical and health science students"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Mohammad","family":"Haddadi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Leyla","family":"Sahebi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-6936-8543","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Fatemeh","family":"Hedayati","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Iqbal H.","family":"Shah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7764-0319","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Mohammadamin","family":"Parsaei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mamak","family":"Shariat","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3579-4181","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Mohadese","family":"Dashtkoohi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3779-9218","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Sedigheh","family":"Hantoushzadeh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0320302.ref001","article-title":"Abortion. 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ABORTION","year":"2007 Jan 1"},{"issue":"S1","key":"pone.0320302.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.1111\/pops.12803","article-title":"Abortion attitudes: an overview of demographic and ideological differences","volume":"43","author":"D Osborne","year":"2022","journal-title":"Political Psychol"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0320302.ref018","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"261","DOI":"10.1186\/s13104-020-05098-y","article-title":"Therapeutic abortion in Iran: an epidemiologic study of legal abortion in 2 years","volume":"13","author":"SA Mahdavi","year":"2020 May 27","journal-title":"BMC Res Notes"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0320302.ref019","first-page":"282","article-title":"Factors associated with incidence of induced abortion in hamedan, Iran","volume":"20","author":"H Hosseini","year":"2017","journal-title":"Arch Iran Med"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0320302.ref020","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"482","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1542-2011.2012.00159.x","article-title":"Induced abortion in Iran: prevalence, reasons, and consequences","volume":"57","author":"A Ranji","year":"2012","journal-title":"J Midwifery Womens Health"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0320302.ref021","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"919","DOI":"10.5811\/westjem.2022.8.57929","article-title":"Post-abortion complications: a narrative review for emergency clinicians","volume":"23","author":"RE Bridwell","year":"2022","journal-title":"West J Emerg Med"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0320302.ref022","first-page":"259","article-title":"Attitudes of medical students to induced abortion","volume":"79","author":"GAB Buga","year":"2002","journal-title":"East Afr Med J"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0320302.ref023","first-page":"195","article-title":"Medical students\u2019 attitudes toward abortion and other reproductive health services","volume":"31","author":"RA Rosenblatt","year":"1999","journal-title":"Fam Med"},{"issue":"11","key":"pone.0320302.ref024","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"783","DOI":"10.1136\/jme.2007.023416","article-title":"Medical students\u2019 attitudes towards abortion: a UK study","volume":"34","author":"R Gleeson","year":"2008","journal-title":"J Med Ethics"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0320302.ref025","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"205","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjsrh-2021-201385","article-title":"A qualitative analysis of medical students\u2019 attitudes to abortion education in UK medical schools","volume":"48","author":"C Horan","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMJ Sex Reprod Health"}],"container-title":["PLOS ONE"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0320302","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,25]],"date-time":"2025-03-25T20:46:55Z","timestamp":1742935615000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0320302"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Zahra","family":"Cheraghi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,25]]},"references-count":25,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,25]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0320302","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-6203"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1932-6203","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,25]]}}}