Attitudes among Danes toward termination of pregnancy for social reasons and fetal abnormality.

Objective To investigate attitude among Danes toward termination of pregnancy (TOP) for social reasons and fetal abnormality (Down's syndrome, cystic fibrosis, adult polycystic kidney disease and the missing of one upper extremity) at different gestational ages. Method A questionnaire was mailed to 1000 Danish citizens aged 18 to 45 years randomly drawn from the Danish Central Personal Register. A significance level of 0.05 was used for statistical estimations. Results Response rate was 49%. Eighty-two percent supported TOP for social reasons < 18-week gestation. Apart from polycystic kidney disease and the missing of an extremity < week 18 gestation, the support for TOP varied significantly between each condition and decreased with increasing gestational age (non-overlapping confidence intervals, p < 0.05), with termination of Down's syndrome receiving the most support (85% < week 18 and 18% at week 26). Fewer would personally opt for termination. Preimplantation diagnostic was supported by a majority. Ninety percent gave consistent responses, and among these, a majority had a gradualistic approach to TOP. Religion and political affiliations were statistically associated with the investigated issues. Conclusion Internationally compared Danes are less supportive of selective terminations. Their attitudes continue to be dominated by a gradualistic view on terminations. (C) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.