OBJECTIVES: to describe the socio-demographic, behavioral, clinical and anatomical-pathological characteristics and the type of abortion in adolescents as a way of discussing the subject from a bio-ethical perspective. METHODS: a structured questionnaire was applied to 201 adolescent girls receiving treatment for incomplete abortion and being subjected to uterine curretage, at a public maternity unit in the Northeast region of Brazil. RESULTS: the mean age was 16.1 years; most girls had a stable partner, were of mixed race, and were not accustomed to using condoms during sexual intercourse. The mean age for initiation of sexual activity was 15 years. Most had not planned the pregnancy but wanted to get pregnant. The mean gestational age of the fetus was 13.2 weeks. With regard to the type of abortion, 1.99% were spontaneous and 81.59% were certainly provoked, according to data obtained using the World Health Organization classification. Fetal and maternal tissue were 88.56% and 11.44%, respectively. Of the abortions that were certainly provoked, there was one case of the use of a hydatidiform mole. CONCLUSIONS: it is recommended that strategic family planning programs be urgently introduced and that anatomical-pathological tests be carried out on the material resulting from an abortion. Proactive bioethical reflection seems to be the tool for providing minimal guidelines for the protection and care of adolescents and for assisting health professionals.
Abortion, induced; Bioethics; Epidemiology; Adolescent
