Moral experiences in caring for voluntary pregnancy losses: A meta-ethnography

Abstract

Voluntary abortions are relatively frequent and their care is complex due to the social stigma that surrounds these losses. This interpretive meta-ethnography of 11 original qualitative articles aims to synthesize the moral experiences of nurses and midwives who cared for women and couples that decided to abort or terminate the pregnancy due to foetal abnormalities. Lines of argument synthesis emerged after reciprocal and refutational translations, together with the metaphor, ‘Going with the flow or swimming against the tide’. Caring in these situations was an ethical dilemma when a conflict existed between their professional duty and their moral principles. In these instances, care was associated with a significant emotional cost. They did not feel sufficiently prepared or with adequate resources, which favoured avoidance behaviours. However, the feeling of professional duty was stronger than their prejudices, and they became engaged in caring. These results could improve knowledge, clinical practice and education, being a (highly) reasonable representation of the phenomenon of interest.