Abortion Survey

A few months ago I conducted a very unscientific but interesting survey at our local hospital's women's clinic. I asked 22 healthcare workers to complete a simple survey form for me. The 22 interviewed included doctors, residents in OB-GYN training, nurses in OB-GYN, medical students, residents in Internal Medicine training and medical techs in OB-GYN. On the survey I asked participants their religion; if they were actively practicing it; if they called themselves pro-choice or pro-life; if they had ever seen a pregnancy termination; if they had ever participated in a pregnancy termination and, if they had, how they would characterize their feelings about that participation; how they would characterize their feelings about abortion in general; and if they thought abortion should be legal or not.

I apologize for the length of the results, which I broke down into many categories. I was surprised by the outcome of this survey: I discovered that being "pro-life" meant different things to different people. And that some who claim to be pro-choice are more vocal about abortion's ills than are some who claim to be pro-life! What did I learn from this survey? That the pro-life movement has much work to do, and much of this work must begin within our own ranks! Catholics in this survey seemed either unaware of the Church's teaching about birth control and abortion--or they chose to ignore it. My summary follows the survey results.

Self-identified religion of respondents:

13 Catholics (11 “actively practicing”)
1 Christian (“actively practicing”)
2 Agnostics
2 Hindus (1 “actively practicing”)
1 Sikh (“actively practicing”)
1 “not religious”
1 Jewish (“actively practicing”)
1 Episcopalian (“not actively practicing”)

“Pro-life” (7 of 22) by religious preference:

Catholic: 5
Christian: 1
“Not religious”: 1

“Pro-choice” (15 of 22) by religious preference:

Catholic: 8
Agnostic: 2
Hindu: 2
Sikh: 1
Jewish: 1
Episcopalian: 1

“Pro-life” by job title:

RN: 1
Tech: 1
OB-GYN resident: 1
Medical Student: 2
OB-GYN physicians: 2

“Pro-choice” by job title:

RNs: 2
Tech: 1
Genetics counselor: 1
OB-GYN residents: 8
Internal Medicine resident: 1
Medical students: 2

Number of “pro-life” professionals who have witnessed abortions: 3 of 7

Medical student: 2
OB-GYN physician: 1

Number of “pro-choice” professionals who have witnessed abortions: 10 of 15

Tech: 1
RNs: 2
Genetics counselor: 1
OB-GYN residents: 5
Medical resident: 1

Number of “pro-life” professionals who have participated in abortions: 2 of 7

OB-GYN physician: “only as a student, part of mandatory training, after extensive counseling with a priest”
Medical student: “as a medical student I felt I needed to experience one, but I doubt I will ever perform the procedure”

Number of “pro-choice” professionals who have participated in abortions: 9 of 15

Tech: 1 (mandatory)
RNs: 2 (mandatory)
Genetics counselor: 1 (willingly, counseling women about 2nd trimester abortions for genetic reasons and staying with women during the abortion)
OB-GYN residents: 5 (willingly, 2 who perform abortions up to 20 weeks of pregnancy)

Number of “pro-life” professionals who feel abortion should be legal: 5 of 7

Medical students: 2 (under limited circumstances)
OB-GYN resident: 1 (with restriction on 2nd trimester abortion)
Tech: 1 (no restrictions)
RN: 1 (no restrictions)

Number of “pro-choice” professionals who feel abortion should be legal: 15 of 15

Number of “pro-life” professionals who approve of / prescribe contraception: 7 of 7


Sampling of “pro-life” comments:

“It’s outright murder”
“Once conception takes place, he or she is a human being regardless of how many days or weeks of pregnancy”
“Abortion should not be legal, but there is room for discussion”
“Abortion should be legal since women die from septic abortions when abortion is illegal.”
“Abortion should be legal when the mother’s life is significantly compromised or the fetus has a relatively significant abnormality that would severely and adversely affect his/her quality of life”
“I’d rather see pregnancy prevention. I think being pro-legal abortion is being pro-life since it saves women’s lives”
“Unless a woman’s life is at risk, abortion is not justified. The destruction of the potential of life outweighs the momentary inconvenience of pregnancy. I don’t believe anyone has the right to destroy the potential of the sum total of experience and contribution to society and life that is inherent in the unborn. There are a myriad of pre-conception birth control devices and options available that could nearly negate the need for abortion”
I am spiritually and religiously against abortion but believe it should be allowed when the fetus has a documented and tested significant abnormality. However, if it is an elective abortion or one in which the risk of a chromosomal abnormality is relatively small, than I am strongly against the decision. I must note, nonetheless, that it is not my place to judge patients who have had or want abortions nor will I force my beliefs on them”
“Men don’t have a post-conception choice that affords them the option to terminate their parental responsibility like women do, thus violating the equal protection clause in the constitution (article 22) and civil rights acts of 1964 and 1965”
“Abortion should be legal and up to one’s discretion”
I did not feel guilt or grief related to my participation, however I did experience grief for the life that was lost”

Sampling of “pro-choice” comments:

“I felt no grief or guilt about my participation”
“I feel women should have the right to choose, however there should be a limit to how many abortions a woman has—should not be used as birth control”
“Abortion should be legal otherwise we’ll be back to back-alley abortions and women dying from infection”
“I have no grief or guilt doing first trimester abortions. I did a second trimester abortion once, and I’ll never do that again”
“I do not think about the abortion—it is a procedure, in my mind”
“I’ve performed abortions, but no more for me!”
“I felt grief and guilt about my participation because there were very few real reasons for the terminations. Most were downright irresponsibility”
“If I thought about it, I would feel bad”
“I wish abortion were unnecessary. The end doesn’t justify the means.”
“I feel abortion should be offered without reservations or stipulations”
“I believe that terminating a pregnancy is a woman’s right. In my experience, most women who are face to face with an abnormal pregnancy will consider termination”
“The political agenda of the extreme right will dictate and control the legality of abortion if allowed. That will be very scary”
“I found watching the abortion disturbing; the woman seemed very distraught”
“I personally did not feel grief or guilt but I remember feeling very sorry for the woman. It was something I did not want to see again”
“I tried to distance myself in many cases, especially when patients used abortion as a method of birth control.”
“After awhile I just couldn’t take it anymore”
“Abortion should not be done after 10 to 12 weeks of pregnancy”
“I realize that it is the decision of the individual, but it should be a last resort”
“I’m pro-life for myself, pro-choice for others. I would never perform an abortion, however I think others have the right to choose what they believe”
“I feel women should have the choice to have abortions, but it is also my choice as a doctor not to perform them”
“Abortion should be a guilt free choice”

My Summary:

Of 7 pro-life professionals, 7 approve of and / or prescribe birth control
Of 7 pro-life professionals, 5 believe abortion should be legal (2 under any circumstances; 2 only when the mother’s life is at risk or the fetus has severe abnormalities; 1 with restrictions on 2nd trimester abortion)
7 of the 15 pro-choice professionals either say they would never participate in abortions in the first place or they have stopped participating in them
All pro-choice professions feel abortion should be legal; 10 of the 15 say that abortion should be strictly limited and regulated
6 out of 11 actively practicing Catholics call themselves pro-choice
5 out of 11 actively practicing Catholics participated in abortions, 3 under pressure and 2 willingly
13 of the 13 Catholics approve of or prescribe birth control, one under pressure
11 of the 13 Catholics say abortion should be legal (2 feel that abortion should be limited only to risk of mother’s death or fetal abnormalities; 1 is against legalization but feels there should be “room for discussion”)


My Observations:

Caregivers of any religion who call themselves pro-life may nevertheless approve of and prescribe birth control (believing this will lessen abortion), approve of the “morning after pill” (as an alternative to abortion), and believe abortion should be legal (some desire limited access)

Catholic caregivers in this sampling more often call themselves pro-choice than pro-life

Pro-choice caregivers of any religion often express feeling conflicted about abortion, especially if they have participated in abortions

Many pro-choice caregivers won’t perform abortions although they remain pro-choice (“okay for others but not for me”)

Most in this sampling, pro-choice or pro-life, express a reluctance “to judge” women who have abortions

My Conclusions:

The labels “pro-life” and “pro-choice” do not accurately reflect how caregivers actually feel or act regarding abortion: Political, societal and peer beliefs seem to determine how most caregivers will act regarding abortion; religious beliefs may or may not determine how they feel about abortion

Catholic caregivers are either not aware of the Church’s teaching on abortion and birth control, or they disagree with it or feel pressured to go against it

Participating in abortions seems to be a deterrent to further participation, but participation in abortion does not deter a caregiver from supporting abortion rights

Most in this sampling, pro-life and pro-choice, view birth control and the morning after pill as a preferred alternative to abortion

Again: The pro-life movement has much work to do; this work must begin in our own ranks! Pray that those of us who are pro-life might be truly pro-life!