Abortion is part of the Brazilian reality, and it must be addressed by public health programs and emphasized in health care professionals' education. This study aimed at identifying and comparing knowledge about the Brazilian abortion law among medical students, at evaluating the approaches that students received in relation to abortion during their program and at discussing possible implications for professional practice. The study was conducted by applying a structured questionnaire to all students (90 in each class) in the first to the sixth years of the medical program of a public university in São Paulo state. The data were analyzed by the statistical package SPSS, version 17. It was observed that there was no difference between the knowledge of students in the first and sixth years in relation to the cases provided for by the Brazilian abortion law. Although 87% of the students completing the program mentioned to have received some content information concerning the topic of abortion, 72.7% did not consider it to be sufficient for the knowledge that they should have during medical education. Revisiting medical education, which, in addition to technical knowledge, must also incorporate issues related to sexual and reproductive rights in women's health, is considered to be fundamental.
Medical Education; Legal Abortion; Legislation; Reproductive Health; Knowledge
