Attitudes toward Abortion among Providers of Reproductive Health Care

Background: Access to abortion continues to decrease in the United States. The aim of this study was to explore attitudes toward abortion among clinicians who provide reproductive health care. Methods: Clinician members of several reproductive health professional organizations completed a self-administered survey that assessed their attitudes toward abortion. Results: A total of 278 clinicians who provided clinical reproductive health services within the United States were included. Nearly all strongly agreed that abortion should be available in cases of rape (89.6%), incest (89.2%), life endangerment (93.2%), health endangerment (91.0%), and fetal anomaly (85.9%). Although most strongly disagreed that spousal notification (81.3%) and spousal consent (86.6%) should be required for married women, fewer strongly disagreed that parental notification (57.6%) and parental consent (66.9%) should be required for minors. Respondents were generally supportive of private insurance coverage (70.1% strongly agreed) and Medicaid coverage (65.0% strongly agreed) for abortion services. Support for legal abortion and public funding of abortion were significantly associated with being female (both p <= .03) and having no personal religious affiliation (both p <= .04). Younger respondents and men were more supportive of third-party involvement and mandatory counseling (all p <= .02). Abortion providers were significantly more supportive of abortion access (legality of abortion, public and private funding, no third-party involvement, and no mandated counseling) than nonproviders (all p < .001). Conclusions: Although reproductive health care providers were generally supportive of legal abortion and funding for abortion, lower support among younger respondents may indicate future difficulties in maintaining a clinical workforce that is willing to provide abortion care. (C) 2016 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc.