ATTITUDES ABOUT ABORTION AMONG 2ND-YEAR MEDICAL-STUDENTS

To assess whether preclinical medical students hold liberal or conserv ative attitudes regarding abortion, we administered a standardized que stionnaire to 72 second-year medical students at a large urban univers ity. We enquired whether they considered abortion murder, or a legitim ate personal choice, and under which circumstances they would perform abortions or refer patients for abortions. In general, students held m ore liberal attitudes toward abortion if they had had previous sexual experience, if they had been HIV tested, and if they were fewish. Some 14% of students responded they would never perform or refer a patient for abortion under any circumstances. These findings raise the questi on of the degree to which physicians' personal beliefs about abortion may affect women's access to abortion as a therapeutic option, which i s especially important in an era of increased limitation of physician choice.