(Reuters Health) - Nearly all obstetrician-gynecologists in the U.S. have patients who want abortions, but only a small percentage of the doctors provide them, suggests a new study that finds access to abortion remains limited, especially in certain areas of the country.
In a survey of 1,144 ob-gyns, researchers found that while 97 percent said they'd had patients who sought abortions, only 14 percent ever provided them. Doctors refusing to perform the procedure were especially concentrated in rural areas, the South and Midwest.
The 14 percent figure is lower than was found in a 2008 survey, where 22 percent of ob-gyns said they performed abortions. However, that study focused on younger doctors who had all been certified after a 1996 rule that made abortion training a required part of ob-gyn residency programs.
Since the current study included doctors up to age 65, that could be the reason for the lower number performing abortions, said lead researcher Dr. Debra B. Stulberg of the University of Chicago.
But the bottom line is the same, she told Reuters Health: Only a small percentage of ob-gyns offer abortion services, despite a high demand for them.
