Doctors Lack Access to Abortion Medical Training in Texas
Every year, more than 100 new obstetrician-gynecologists graduate from a Texas residency program and enter the medical workforce. Theoretically, all have had the opportunity during their four years of residency to learn about what's called "induced abortion" — named that to distinguish it from a miscarriage. However, the closure of abortion clinics in Texas — more than 20 since 2013 — has made that training increasingly difficult.
The State of Residency Programs and Clinical Training
Texas has 18 residency programs in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, but in Texas this training happens quietly, almost in secret. "Doctors working in these institutions are walking a very delicate line," said Carole Joffe, a medical sociologist at the University of California, San Francisco. Academic medical centers in Texas receive tens of millions of dollars a year in state funding, and many are fearful of the other sectors of the university coming down on them and saying, "You're threatening our funding."
Medical residents can opt out of abortion training for religious or moral reasons, but some feel a professional obligation to learn the procedure. "This is part of OB-GYN — it's not an optional part, per se," said a resident identified as Jane. "Women can choose if they want an abortion or not, but you as their doctor need to be able to provide them with all the choices available."
Skills Acquired During Clinical Rotation
Being able to perform the abortion is just one set of skills learned during residency. The rotation taught Jane things that will be useful in other practice areas, such as:
- Counseling patients about abortion, contraception and sexually transmitted diseases.
- Techniques for pain management and dilation of the cervix.
- Performing ultrasounds to date the pregnancy, which helps determine which technique will be used to terminate it.
In some states — including Texas — an ultrasound is also mandated by state law. "Before in residency, we were doing ultrasounds maybe once during a clinic afternoon," Jane said. "But here we do 30 ultrasounds in a morning, so it's a lot of good learning about how to do ultrasounds."
Risks and Pressures Facing Providers
It's understandable why an OB-GYN resident in Texas might think twice about providing abortions. Doctors who provide the service must think about security issues for themselves and their staff. They also have to deal with the scrutiny of state inspectors as well as anti-abortion protesters. Furthermore, surveys and other research show that doctors who do abortions may have fewer job opportunities.
Resources for Finding Safe Medical Care
Step 1 is finding a clinic or provider that is pre-screened, safe, legit, and right for you. You can find a clinic or abortion provider by going to any of these websites:
- ineedana.com
- National Abortion Federation
- Planned Parenthood (look for clinics that list “Abortion Services”)
- Abortion Clinic Pages
- Abortion Care Network
You can also call 1-877-257-0012 or 1-800-230-PLAN (7526) for information about some of these clinics. Be advised that you may need to travel out of state to an abortion clinic, especially if you are looking for an abortion after 13 weeks of pregnancy.
Warning: Avoiding Crisis Pregnancy Centers
Avoid centers that refuse to give a straightforward answer. These “Crisis Pregnancy Centers” often show up when you do Internet searches for “abortion.” They often will offer you free pregnancy tests or free ultrasounds, but the people who perform these services are not doctors. These places are anti-abortion and they will try to convince you not to have an abortion, often by giving you false, medically inaccurate information about the risks or costs of abortion.