Medical conscientious objection in abortion cases: scoping review

Introduction: conscientious objection makes it possible to ensure medical rights, but it is an obstacle to public health in Brazil. Aims: to carry out a Brazilian literature review assessing the motivation of health professionals who present conscientious objection in cases of legalized abortion. Methods: to this end, a PICO Brazilian literature review was carried out, with the guiding question: does medical technical teaching versus religiosity interfere with the option for conscientious objection in the face of legalized abortion? The following databases were used: Cochrane Library, Lilacs, PubMed, Scielo and Periodicals CAPES, using the descriptors "(Conscientious Objection)"; "(Conscientious Objection) AND (Religion)"; "(Conscientious Objection) AND (Medical Education)"; "(Conscientious Objection) AND (Religion) AND (Medical Education)" in Portuguese and in English plus the term "abortion". The search was carried out in January 2023 and limited to the period between 2016 and 2023. Results: initially, the search resulted in 1746 articles, of which only 17 were included. It can be observed that religion is an influence, however, the lack of the subject in medical schools causes doctors to act incorrectly or incompletely when objecting to conscience. Conclusions: this study will serve for future intervention projects with medical students, which minimize obstacles to accessing abortion.