Washington Post Magazine Examines Medical Students' Decision Whether To Become Abortion Providers

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Medical Students / Training
Article Date: 25 Nov 2008 - 6:00 PST

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The Washington Post Magazine on Sunday examined challenges medical students face when considering whether to become abortion providers. According to the Post Magazine, the number of abortion providers in the U.S. is declining, and "unless a new generation [takes] their place, the right to abortion might be rendered meaningless." The Post Magazine profiled Lesley Wojcik -- a medical student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine -- who was considering becoming an abortion provider but ultimately decided to forgo her plans.

The Post Magazine reports that the path to becoming an abortion provider is similar in many ways to that for other medical specialties. Medical students "explore the specialty and test themselves in it, finding some connection to a patient or mentor that ignites their passion. Except for one difference: Medical students must explore abortion largely on their own," according to the Post Magazine. For example, abortion rarely is mentioned in the first three or four years of medical school, when students must begin to focus on a specialty and eventually apply for residency training. Students who want to learn about the procedure can ask to observe abortions in their third year, during the rotation through obstetrics, the Post Magazine reports. The only opportunity for additional training is offered through the national Medical Students for Choice, a national organization that can arrange for students to work at a local clinic that provides abortion services for a few weeks between their first and second years.

In addition to the dearth of training opportunities, the Post Magazine reports that the "everyday pressure of being an abortion provider" can influence a medical student's decision as to whether to pursue a residency in the specialty. According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, only 52% of medical students who said they wanted to provide abortions when they entered their residencies went on to do so. Study author Jody Steinauer -- a professor at University of California-San Francisco and a co-founder of Medical Students for Choice -- said that young physicians' commitment to abortion rights may not run as deep as older physicians, who can remember women dying from botched abortions prior to Roe v. Wade. Furthermore, although violence against abortion providers has dropped significantly since the 1980s and 1990s, the Post Magazine reports that physicians who perform abortion nonetheless "sign up for a lifestyle unlike any other in medicine, a subculture replete with drawn blinds, shredders and security guards at professional conventions." According to the Post Magazine, despite the decline in violence, abortion providers "remain extremely cautious. Doctors take cover in the anonymity of large hospitals and debate whether to take their spouses' surnames and how to best to protect their children. Some avoid speaking publicly about abortion" (Meisol, Washington Post Magazine, 11/23).

Wojcik and Meisol on Monday will discuss the Post Magazine story in an online chat at 12 p.m., ET. Questions can be submitted online before or during the chat (Washingtonpost.com, 11/24).

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