Abortion and Professional Responsibility: Innovating Education in Reproductive Health
Abortion is a common experience for women around the world; yet it is often excluded from the curricula of health professionals. Our aim is to fill in the gaps left by the exclusion of abortion from mainstream curricula. This section contains all video lectures and companion materials relating to abortion and professional responsibility.
Learning Objectives
After watching these video lectures, learner will:
- Identify programs in medical education and describe the importance of integrated abortion training.
- Understand the professional responsibilities of health-care providers caring for women seeking abortion.
- Recognize and appreciate appropriate and inappropriate applications of “conscience” in the setting of abortion care.
- Practice patient communication skills and identify steps to take to enhance professionalism in personally challenging clinical encounters.
- Identify Advanced Practice Clinicians as key stakeholders in abortion provision.
Professional Responsibilities in Clinical Practice
Physicians’ Professional Responsibilities in Abortion Care
Presented by Jody Steinauer, MD, MAS from the University of California, San Francisco, this lecture explores the essential duties of medical doctors. The material references the ACOG Committee Opinion No. 385: The Limits of Conscientious Refusal in Reproductive Medicine and examines the intersection of religion, conscience, and controversial clinical practices.
Nursing Roles in Abortion Care: Clinical Responsibility and Professional Ethics
Presented by Amy Levi, PhD, CNM, WHNP-BC, Albers Professor of Midwifery at the University of New Mexico, this educational material focuses on nursing leadership. It highlights the ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses and the Revised Code of Ethics in 2015, emphasizing the clinical responsibility of nursing professionals in abortion care.
Conscientious Provision and Refusal of Abortion Care
Presented by Lori Freedman, PhD, MA from the University of California, San Francisco, this topic addresses the complexities of conscientious objection. Resources include FIGO guidelines on conscientious objection and the Guttmacher state laws and policy regarding conscientious refusal in the United States.
The Role of Professional Organizations
The National Abortion Federation (NAF) is the professional association of abortion providers. We unite, represent, serve, and support abortion providers in delivering patient-centered, evidence-based care. As a community, NAF works to support abortion providers in delivering quality care and continues to recognize leaders in the fields of research, advocacy, teaching, and abortion care provision.
Key Resources and Materials
- Physicians’ Professional Responsibilities in Abortion Care Slide Set
- Nursing Roles in Abortion Care: Clinical Responsibility and Professional Ethics Slide Set
- Revised Code of Ethics in 2015 (Association AN. Code of Ethics for Nurses)
- FIGO guidelines on conscientious objection
- Center for Reproductive Rights Law and Policy Guide