Recently trained female obstetrician-gynecologists in active practice have more favorable attitudes toward abortion than do recently trained male ob-gyns, and the former also are more likely to provide abortions. However, since female providers perform fewer abortions than do male providers, women's contribution to the overall volume of abortions performed is no higher than expected. In a multivariate analysis, abortion attitudes proved to be the strongest predictor of whether or not a physician provides abortions, but practice-related variables are stronger predictors of the number of abortions performed. Factors related to policy issues, such as state funding of abortions for poor women and hospital policies with respect to abortion provision, had statistically significant effects on physicians' abortion performance.
PIP: Recently trained US female obstetrician-gynecologists in active practice have more favorable attitudes toward abortion than do recently trained male ob-gyns, and the former also are more likely to provide abortions. However, since female providers perform fewer abortions than do male providers, women's contribution ot the overall volume of abortions performed is no higher than expected. In a multivariate analysis, abortion attitudes proved to be the strongest predictor of whether or not a physician provides abortions, but practice-related variables are stronger predictors of the number of abortions performed. Factors related to policy issues, such as state funding of abortions for poor women and hospital policies with respect to abortion provision, had statistically significant effects on physicians' abortion performance. Of course, it is possible that rather than determining the physician's abortion performance, some of the practice-related characteristics studied here might reflect the physician's selection of a practice setting compatible with his or her abortion preferences, or might reflect the physician's influence on the practice site.