New York Medical abortion has been available in the United States for some time but, until recently, was viewed mainly as an experimental procedure or new technology. 1 Publication of the article by Gold, Luks and Anderson 2 shows how medical abortion could enter into the mainstream of family practice and highlights the controversy surrounding this subject. The accessibility of medical abortion brings family physicians to yet another crossroads. Yet medical abortion, with its moral implications, may only complicate the practices of many family physicians.
Family physicians are still divided on their attitudes toward abortion.
3 One survey, taken at a time when only surgical abortion was available, reported that although approximately 50 percent of family physicians supported a woman's right to choose an abortion, only 3 percent were performing abortions. Perhaps the technical aspects of a surgical abortion were too daunting for most family physicians, or the public nature of the procedure deterred physicians from performing surgical abortions. Equally plausibly, the gap between believing that a woman has the right to choose an abortion and actually performing an abortion presented too great a moral leap for most practitioners to take. Medical abortion eliminates the first two potential obstacles, leaving family physicians to wrestle with the moral implications of the procedure. Paradoxically, the simplicity and convenience of medical abortion may also be a drawback.