Adolescent Abortion: Views of the Membership of the American Academy of Pediatrics

Abstract

To identify the positions held by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) membership on a number of issues that may be topics of legislation regarding abortion, the AAP carried out a survey based on a random sample of 1000 active US members. A total of 785 usable questionnaires were returned. The majority of members surveyed (56.7%) favored access to abortion for adolescents for all the reasons identified in the questionnaire; 35.4% believed abortion should clearly be restricted in some circumstances, and 7.0% believed adolescents should not have access to abortion under any circumstances. For each individual reason for abortion, at least 60% of the membership believed adolescents should have access to abortion services. In addition, most pediatricians supported legal positions that would facilitate access to abortion services for adolescents. Urban, female, and non—self-employed pediatricians were slightly more likely to support access to abortion by adolescents than comparison groups. Discussion focuses on the extent to which pediatricians' views reflect medical concerns, the extent to which their views are reflected in the current laws, and implications for practice and for AAP policy.