Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Dec 1;34(6):367-372.
doi: 10.1097/GCO.0000000000000833.

Physicians and healthcare professionals as advocates for abortion care and reproductive choice

Smita Carroll  1 , Devki Joshi, Eve Espey
Affiliations
Review

Physicians and healthcare professionals as advocates for abortion care and reproductive choice

Smita Carroll et al. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: The current review discusses the overarching role of advocacy as a primary component of access to abortion care. Abortion is viewed differently from any other form of health care, resulting in a marginalized, but essential healthcare component: without ongoing effective and strategic advocacy, abortion will not become or remain available. Lack of access to abortion care disproportionately affects historically excluded communities.

Recent findings: Advocacy is core to the provision of sexual and reproductive health. The antiabortion community has effectively used policy to achieve long-term goals of severely restricting access to abortion. Crisis pregnancy centers, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the antiabortion legislation of 2022 have exacerbated existing health inequities. Community engagement and advocacy skills assist providers to support access and combat inequities. Provider and trainee education, interprofessional collaboration, and leadership are critical in the effort to support comprehensive reproductive health care.

Summary: Through this literature review and our lived experiences as abortion providers, we assert the importance of healthcare professionals as advocates for abortion rights and services. The need for advocacy crosses specialties and communities; together we are stronger advocates as we continue to support and fight for access to safe legal and equitable abortion care.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Montoya MN, Judge-Golden C, Swartz JJ. The problems with crisis pregnancy centers: reviewing the literature and identifying new directions for future research. Int J Womens Health 2022; 14:757–763.
    1. Swartzendruber A, English A, Greenberg KB, et al. Crisis pregnancy centers in the United States: lack of adherence to medical and ethical practice standards; a joint position statement of the society for adolescent health and medicine and the North American society for pediatric and adolescent gynecology. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol 2019; 32:563–566.
    1. Warren.senate.gov: Warren, Maloney, etc. Warren, Maloney, Bonamici, Menendez introduce legislation to stop anti-abortion disinformation by crisis pregnancy centers | U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Warren.senate.gov. (2022). Available at: https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-maloney-bon... . [Retrieved 9 August 2022].
    1. Maier M, Samari G, Ostrowski J, et al. ‘Scrambling to figure out what to do’: a mixed method analysis of COVID-19's impact on sexual and reproductive health and rights in the United States. BMJ Sex Reprod Health 2021; 47:e16.
    1. Arey W, Lerma K, Beasley A, et al. A preview of the dangerous future of abortion bans – Texas Senate Bill 8. N Engl J Med 2022; 387:388–390.