Clinical ethics in the Netherlands: Moral case deliberation in health care organizations

Bulgaria, as a country in transition and already a member of the European Union, is currently subject to profound political and social reforms. The cross-sectional study included four regional general hospitals for acute illnesses situated in the central northern part of Bulgaria: Gabrovo, Lovech, Ruse and Veliko Tarnovo. The survey instrument was drafted based on a review of the ethics consultation literature and developed to be relevant to the context of the medical practice situation in Bulgaria. According to the liberal abortion law adopted in Bulgaria in 1990, every pregnant woman can request an abortion until the twelfth week of gestation regardless of the reason for the request. Therefore Bulgarian physicians, who potentially lack the relevant philosophical background and who are used to a secular way of thinking, simply do not perceive abortion as a problem posing ethical dilemmas. The survey confirmed the positive attitude to ethics consultation previously noted, which strengthens the basis for development of ethics consultation.