Abstract

Purpose

The authors explore how abortion regulations in Ohio, an abortion-restrictive state in the USA, impact obstetrician-gynecologists’ (OB/GYNs) training in reproductive healthcare and describe what OB/GYNs believe to be the broader impact of Ohio’s regulations on skill-building, skills maintenance, and professional retention of reproductive healthcare providers in the state. Authors discuss how their findings foreshadow abortion training limitations in Ohio and other abortion-restrictive states now that abortion regulations have returned to the states.

Methods

The authors conducted four semi-structured focus groups and five in-depth interviews between April 2019 and March 2020. Participants included OB/GYNs practicing obstetrics and gynecology in Ohio between 2010 and 2020. Thematic analysis was conducted using Atlas.ti.

Results

Twenty attending physicians and 15 fellows and residents participated in the study. Participants discussed the impact of Ohio’s written transfer agreement, gestational-limit, and abortion method and facility bans on training and skill-building opportunities. Participants felt that Ohio’s strict abortion regulations 1) limit opportunities to observe and perform abortion procedures during training; 2) require learning the ever-changing legality of abortion provision; 3) limit the number of abortions OB/GYNs can provide, leading to the atrophy of their skills over time; and 4) may prevent prospective medical students and residents from choosing to study in Ohio and may lead to physician attrition from the state.

Conclusion

Prior to the reversal of federal protections for abortion in 2022, OB/GYNs in Ohio and other abortion-hostile states experienced barriers to training in abortion care. In returning abortion regulation to the states, access to training is likely to be increasingly restricted. This research demonstrates how abortion-restrictions hamper physicians’ skills needed to care for patients, particularly in emergent situations. This puts patients at risk and places physicians in precarious ethical positions. Expanding protections and reducing restrictions on abortion will ensure OB/GYNs and trainees have the skills necessary to care for patients presenting for reproductive healthcare.

Details

Title
The double-edged sword of abortion regulations: Decreasing training opportunities while increasing knowledge requirements
Author
Gyuras, Hillary J 1 ; Field, Meredith P 2 ; Thornton, Olivia 3 ; Bessett, Danielle 4 ; McGowan, Michelle L 5 

 Gyuras Is a Research Associate, College of Public Health, the Ohio State University, Ohio, USA 
 Division of Social Sciences, Alfred University, Alfred, New York, USA 
 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts, USA 
 Department of Sociology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA 
 Biomedical Ethics Research Program, Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA 
Publication year
2023
Publication date
Dec 2023
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Ltd.
e-ISSN
10872981
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2894309774
Copyright
© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.