The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #57660

Martin Donohoe, MD, FACP, Physician, Old Town Clinic and Senior Scholar, Center for Ethics in Health Care, Oregon Health and Science University, 241 West Burnside St., Portland, OR 97209, 503/241-3836, mdonohoe@oldtownclinic.org and Karen E Adams, MD, FACOG, Assistant Professor, Ob/Gyn and Clinical Consultant, Center for Ethics, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Mail Code UHN 50, Portland, OR 97201.

Under the Bush Administration, access to abortion has become increasingly difficult. Eighty-six percent of counties and 30% of metropolitan areas have no abortion provider. Abortions are costly; most patients pay out of pocket. Patients and providers face harassment. Thirty-nine states have parental notification laws. Recently, the administration proposed allowing states to define unborn children as persons eligible for medical coverage. It also introduced bills to increase the $3 million per year already spent on “Crisis Pregnancy Centers,” where pregnant women are given misinformation regarding abortion, refused information about contraception, shown an ultrasound of their fetus, and watch a slide show depicting bloody aborted fetuses, in which abortion is claimed to cause sterility, deformed children and death. Very few Ob/Gyn residency programs require abortion training, even though a small minority of trainees morally oppose abortion. Other obstacles include deliberate alteration of government websites to spread misinformation, bans on specific methods, mandated waiting periods, spousal notification laws, regulation of abortion facility locations, unreasonable zoning ordinances, and Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws authorizing excessively burdensome building requirements for abortion clinics, forcing them to deplete their financial resources on unnecessary construction, relocate, or raise the price of an abortion. Ways in which health professionals can provide the public with accurate information about the scope and nature of abortion services, advocate for increased funds for family planning and training of greater numbers of providers, and battle conservative lawmakers seeking to limit women’s right to this legal medical procedure will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
• Articulate current barriers to abortion services in the United States and abroad.
• Describe federal government policies, state laws and health practitioner education practices which limit women's right to access timely, safe, and legal abortion services in the US.
• Discuss ways public health practitioners can respond to policies limiting women's right to choose.

Keywords: Abortion, Public Health Policy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.