OMG the posts about doctors making comments or not recommending pre-natal testing because they're pro-life makes me livid. Not everyone who receives a particular diagnosis chooses to terminate. How dare a doctor purposely not offer such testing because he/she fears what the patient will do after receiving the results. Patients should have the right to know, wherever possible*, that their baby has a particular diagnoses and seek specialists who can attend to their baby's needs upon birth and beyond (or during the rest of the pregnancy too). This is all just disgusting to me.
*I'm aware some of these tests aren't standard in many offices. I don't have a problem with that as long as the reasons behind it don't have to do with being pro-life and not wanting to give your patients medical information.
I saw pretty hippy-dippy docs for all three of my pregnancies - I know one of the midwives was a strong Christian, so I assume pro-life, and they all gave me lots of information on the tests and what they would show. Granted my first pregnancy was 10 year ago, so the testing was much less than, but even 3 years ago, they provided lots of testing and informed results - even at the office that I now know doesn't do elective abortions.
I have never asked and don't think I would, but if it turned out I needed one and couldn't get one, I'd switch.
Unfortunately sometimes circumstances don't permit this. I've never asked either but now I feel like I was kind of naive not to think of it and lucky it never became a problem.
Yup. This x1000. I'm nearly positive my group supports women's reproductive rights. Thankfully I have several options if they don't.
Post by lyssbobiss, Command, B613 on Sept 10, 2015 15:37:12 GMT -5
I would switch if I found out my doctor was very pro-life. What if I need an abortion in the future? Even if she couldn't perform them because of hospital regulations or something, I refuse to get health care from someone who would judge my choices about my reproductive health.
"This prick is asking for someone here to bring him to task Somebody give me some dirt on this vacuous mass so we can at last unmask him I'll pull the trigger on it, someone load the gun and cock it While we were all watching, he got Washington in his pocket."
Post by omgzombies on Sept 10, 2015 15:40:55 GMT -5
It probably depends on why. There are plenty of GYNS out there who don't provide elective abortions because they literally can't because the laws have made it so difficult to have a clinic where that occurs. I also know of some OBs who are pro-choice, but simply don't want to put their practice and safety in jeopardy by providing them because they know they will receive threats. I also know of one or two (my Dad used to be an OBGYN, this is why I know so many) who don't provide elective abortions because while they are prochoice they simply don't feel comfortable doing the procedure for their own personal reasons, but will provide referrals to other doctors. I'm ok with all of those.
If I were to only be willing to go to an OBGYN who actively provided elective abortions I'd have a pretty short list to choose from.
OMG the posts about doctors making comments or not recommending pre-natal testing because they're pro-life makes me livid. Not everyone who receives a particular diagnosis chooses to terminate. How dare a doctor purposely not offer such testing because he/she fears what the patient will do after receiving the results. Patients should have the right to know, wherever possible*, that their baby has a particular diagnoses and seek specialists who can attend to their baby's needs upon birth and beyond (or during the rest of the pregnancy too). This is all just disgusting to me.
*I'm aware some of these tests aren't standard in many offices. I don't have a problem with that as long as the reasons behind it don't have to do with being pro-life and not wanting to give your patients medical information.
I agree and would go so far as to say that a doctor failing to provide information or offering life-saving tests/treatment/referrals is malpractice.
"This prick is asking for someone here to bring him to task Somebody give me some dirt on this vacuous mass so we can at last unmask him I'll pull the trigger on it, someone load the gun and cock it While we were all watching, he got Washington in his pocket."
I thought I read something not that long ago that medical school programs were not teaching abortion procedures. Does anyone know if there is merit to that?
Post by NewOrleans on Sept 10, 2015 15:45:41 GMT -5
No. I would never, not ever see an anti-choice OB /gyn. First, because I am the patient, and I cannot see a doctor with divided loyalties; and second, because they deviate from the standard of care.
I thought I read something not that long ago that medical school programs were not teaching abortion procedures. Does anyone know if there is merit to that?
I thought I read something not that long ago that medical school programs were not teaching abortion procedures. Does anyone know if there is merit to that?
Post by downtoearth on Sept 10, 2015 15:54:52 GMT -5
tacosforlife - missed yesterday's Mother Jones' thread - I just caught up and yes, the hurdles! Texas and Midwest women, I feel for you. Crazy that I'm in one of the states with little to no regulation and therefore less hurdles, but also few providers.
I just found out that there are 5 Planned Parenthoods in our state and one other women's health care provider that does abortions. I don't know about private practice doctors. Plus, the PPs share doctors for several of the clinics, so they don't do them but once per week. Wait time is about 2-3 weeks minimum. So call early if you might want an elective abortion. I don't know what would happen if you decided at an 18-20 week ultrasound to terminate if the main elective abortion providers are booked 2+ weeks out.
Post by NewOrleans on Sept 10, 2015 15:58:57 GMT -5
oh, and also, Kansas tried to pass a law 2 years ago barring state employees from performing abortions. Why does this matter if doctors are private employees? Because residents in the KU med school are considered state employees. Ergo, they can't perform abortions which is part of the required program, and ergo, the med school could have lost accreditation and the doctors not learned the procedure
So doing a quick search for Austin, a city and surrounding metro area of about 1,000,000 people, I found that we have two clinics that offer abortion services. One is a PP clinic and the other is a private women's health care clinic. Both offer medical and surgical abortion options.
But it's only two clinics. Two. TWO.
TWO!
I know... I know. There are whole communities that have nothing for hundreds and hundreds, even thousands of miles. I thought Austin was more progressive than that and then I forgot about FUCKING TEXAS and our FUCKING LEGISLATURE!
I have never asked and don't think I would, but if it turned out I needed one and couldn't get one, I'd switch.
The problem with this is that the anti-abortion measures that have been passed would make this incredibly difficult in a lot of situations.
If someone found out that her pregnancy was incompatible with life at 19 weeks and 3 days and the state cut off was 20 weeks. She would have 4 days to find a referral to another practice (which, I had to switch when we moved and it was a MASSIVE PITA to get medical records transferred, insurance, etc. and it took me weeks to get an appointment). Plus the new doctor might not perform an abortion without a first appointment establishing her as a patient. Or what if the new doctor wasn't accepting new patients?
I mean, hopefully the first doctor would facilitate the referrals and expedite the process, but if it's a pro-life doctor like what AW is looking for you better believe it probably wouldn't happen that quickly.
IDK, not aimed at you personally. Just musing on the deplorable state of everything right now.
Oh, I know. Fortunately, that won't be an issue where I live. I probably would have a different opinion of I lived somewhere with stricter laws.
So doing a quick search for Austin, a city and surrounding metro area of about 1,000,000 people, I found that we have two clinics that offer abortion services. One is a PP clinic and the other is a private women's health care clinic. Both offer medical and surgical abortion options.
This is something I've never really thought about until this thread - but are there OBGYNs in private practice who perform abortions in their offices but wouldn't be advertised anywhere as an "abortion clinic"? I've always thought of it as regular OBGYN care and abortion clinics as two separate things, but there's no reason it has to be that way, other that political/regulatory roadblocks.
So doing a quick search for Austin, a city and surrounding metro area of about 1,000,000 people, I found that we have two clinics that offer abortion services. One is a PP clinic and the other is a private women's health care clinic. Both offer medical and surgical abortion options.
This is something I've never really thought about until this thread - but are there OBGYNs in private practice who perform abortions in their offices but wouldn't be advertised anywhere as an "abortion clinic"? I've always thought of it as regular OBGYN care and abortion clinics as two separate things, but there's no reason it has to be that way, other that political/regulatory roadblocks.
I don't know. I wish I did know but I don't think those particular doctors are too keen on advertising that they do abortions because it's not safe to publicize that.
So doing a quick search for Austin, a city and surrounding metro area of about 1,000,000 people, I found that we have two clinics that offer abortion services. One is a PP clinic and the other is a private women's health care clinic. Both offer medical and surgical abortion options.
This is something I've never really thought about until this thread - but are there OBGYNs in private practice who perform abortions in their offices but wouldn't be advertised anywhere as an "abortion clinic"? I've always thought of it as regular OBGYN care and abortion clinics as two separate things, but there's no reason it has to be that way, other that political/regulatory roadblocks.
I've always assumed the same. That absent stupid laws such as requiring procedures to take place in ambulatory surgery centers that private OBs often performed terminations, just as they would perform a D&C or D&E due to pregnancy loss or prescribe misoprotol for an early loss or tubal pregnancy. I assumed that the procedure was also the same and those were required for all medical students due to them being used for medical purposes other than abortion.
I was actually wondering at my appointment this summer whether my Gyn would offer 1st trimester abortions at her office; I have no idea. She no longer practices obstetrics.
I don't plan to become pregnant, but if I did I would at least consider an abortion for health reasons. So no, I wouldn't choose an OB who I wouldn't feel would be completely honest with me about both my and the fetus' health situation and our legal medical options, and I am certain I wouldn't trust a pro-life doctor to be honest on that front.
Post by charminglife on Sept 10, 2015 16:43:50 GMT -5
I asked my OB/GYN because I wanted to be sure that I'd have continuity of care should I need abortion services. THere's no way my H or I could have a kid right now, professionally, emotionally or financially. That's why I have an IUD.
Abortion procedures/care/aftercare was covered when my H was in med school both in OB/GYN and in family medicine. None of his classmates opted out, though it really angered me that they had that choice.
My practice does terminations. I never asked but it came up in conversation at a genetic testing appointment whilst discussing issues incompatible with life that she was scheduled to perform a termination for CF later in the week. So I don't know if they do elective terminations or only ones that are deemed medically necessary. I wouldn't switch in either instance unless I was feeling pressured one way or the other, and I'd expect a referral if I asked for one.
I did ask my ob gyn if they do abortions because I wanted to support a practice that does in an age where it can be dangerous for doctors to provide the service.
As a kid I was always kind of baffled that my mom's pro-life protesting gang would protest the hospital where our pediatrician was based. Like, we'd be on the side of the road out front with big signs on Saturday and then on Tuesday we'd be in there getting baby brother his MMR like it was nothing. And we didn't live in a rural area without options.
But then I grew up and realized my holier than thou pro life activist mother actually had an abortion herself before she decided not letting anyone else get one was her life's passion. And it all kind of made sense.
Wow, I can't imagine what that must have been like, discovering that about your mother. :-#
So, I'm pro-choice politically and legally, but I am pretty pro-life personally. I suppose that's the best way to describe it. I believe life begins at conception, but I think the mother's right to make choices about her own body trumps the rights of the fetus. For myself, barring a painful or possibly simply incompatible with life situation for the baby or my life being at risk, I am pretty against an elective abortion. It's just not something I would consider, and if it were my life at risk, I'd probably be looking at the Catholic cop-out of treatment that ends pregnancy.
Anyway, if that puts me as pro-life, no I don't really care if my doctor is pro-choice. I've had an accidental pregnancy, and was very clear it wasn't planned and no one tried to force me to have an abortion. I mean, they told me I had options when I said it wasn't planned and I said I wasn't interested in those options. The end.
Pro choice with a pro life doctor...hmm. This is more concerning to me even considering my own personal stance because if that is care a person wants, that the doctor won't provide, that's not a good choice for a health care professional for that person, IMO. It's more limiting and more directly affecting the patient's healthcare.
I've never asked my doctors, though, but I've never gotten the impression from them that they wouldn't provide me with the care I needed or wanted, either.
oh, and also, Kansas tried to pass a law 2 years ago barring state employees from performing abortions. Why does this matter if doctors are private employees? Because residents in the KU med school are considered state employees. Ergo, they can't perform abortions which is part of the required program, and ergo, the med school could have lost accreditation and the doctors not learned the procedure
I don't remember if it moved forward or not.
Gawd, this just infuriates me.
I've always disdained the slippery slope argument, but here's how it works! Tiny little bits, chipped away one nugget at a time.
Post by open24hours on Sept 10, 2015 17:11:23 GMT -5
I probably would switch. I see being pro-life as being anti-women and don't really think a doctor can meet my needs, as a woman, if they are anti-women. I also don't think that ob/gyns should be able to choose to not perform abortions due to their own personal beliefs. If they can't because of stupid laws, that is one thing, but if they don't believe in abortions they should really choose a different specialty. To me, an ob/gyn who refuses to perform abortions is no different from an orthopedist who would not perform joint reductions for a dislocation or perform knee/hip/joint replacement surgeries. Abortions should be an essential element of an ob/gyns job. It saddens me though, that if every ob/gyn had to perform abortions, there probably wouldn't be enough of them to meet the needs of the population.
Post by zoegirltx on Sept 10, 2015 17:19:08 GMT -5
interesting...I've never asked nor thought about it. I'm with a midwife group, so I'm certain they don't, but they are also super hippy/laid back & I think they are all generally women-supportive. Not sure if any of the docs in their group perform abortions.
My hunch is that *most* Ob/Gyn's do not perform abortions themselves b/c of the huge burden & high hurdles.
I would think/feel like most of them would be fairly pro-choice as they are on the front lines of dealing with women who either don't want a pregnancy for an elective reason or have to make heart-breaking personal choices if there are complications to a pregnancy. If anybody would understand that most women aren't geting abortions for funsies, it would be them would would (hopefully?? ideally?) be most understanding & supportive of each women's choices.
To me, an ob/gyn who refuses to perform abortions is no different from an orthopedist who would not perform joint reductions for a dislocation or perform knee/hip/joint replacement surgeries. Abortions should be an essential element of an ob/gyns job..
well, I guess theoretically, until "big government" run by conservatives gets involved & put so many restrictions on it that it's nearly impossible for a regular Ob/gyn to be legally allowed to do so due to restrictions. Since there are so few places that perform abortions now, I'd guess that 99.99% of Ob/gyns are not in a position to perform an abortion.
No, the doctor's stance on abortion would not affect my decision to be seen by her/him.
However, my first consult when looking for a new doctor is the national organization for doctors who teach NFP, since that what we use and I'm really sick of hearing "Oh, the rhythm method. How's that working out for you?"
And generally doctors who are passionate about NFP also tend to not perform elective terminations.
To me, an ob/gyn who refuses to perform abortions is no different from an orthopedist who would not perform joint reductions for a dislocation or perform knee/hip/joint replacement surgeries. Abortions should be an essential element of an ob/gyns job..
well, I guess theoretically, until "big government" run by conservatives gets involved & put so many restrictions on it that it's nearly impossible for a regular Ob/gyn to be legally allowed to do so due to restrictions. Since there are so few places that perform abortions now, I'd guess that 99.99% of Ob/gyns are not in a position to perform an abortion.
Which is why I pointed out a difference between can't and won't perform abortions. Also, I'm talking about my ideal world here, which is very different from actual reality.
Post by kadams767 on Sept 10, 2015 18:41:33 GMT -5
I wouldn't continue to see an ob-gyn who was against abortion. Since I had one personally, when I switched to a new practice, I tried to suss out their feelings on the matter based on their reactions to my responses to the screening where I disclosed the abortion. If I had gotten a negative vibe from either the nurse, NP or doctor, I would have switched immediately.
The only abortion my OBGYN provides is for ectopic pregnancies, but she has information on providers and will refer and send you with no hesitations. That is something I asked.
Personally, her willingness to refer me to someone immediately is good enough for me.
Post by twohearted on Sept 10, 2015 19:58:00 GMT -5
I assumed my OB did not perform elective abortions, but I don't really know. Even if they don't personally perform them I would stay as long as they were compassionate and could help facilitate any procedure that was necessary. My OB was a great advocate for me during my labor and delivery and he has always been respectful of my choices.
This would really only be an issue for an unwanted pregnancy in my case. If anything were wrong I would be referred to an MFM who does perform abortions.