title: Obstetrician-gynecologists' views on contraception and natural family planning: a national survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the study was to characterize beliefs about contraception among obstetrician-gynecologists.
  
  
  METHODS
  National mailed survey of 1800 US obstetrician-gynecologists. Criterion variables were whether physicians have a moral or ethical objection to, and whether they would offer, 6 common contraceptive methods. Covariates included physician demographic and religious characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One thousand one hundred fifty-four of 1760 eligible obstetrician-gynecologists responded (66%). Some obstetrician-gynecologists object to intrauterine devices (4.4% object, 3.6% would not offer), progesterone implants and/or injections (1.7% object, 2.1% would not offer), tubal ligations (1.5% object, 1.5% would not offer), oral contraceptive pills (1.3% object, 1.1% would not offer), condoms (1.3% object, 1.8% would not offer), and the diaphragm or cervical cap with spermicide (1.3% object, 3.3% would not offer). Religious physicians were more likely to object (odds ratio, 7.4) and to refuse to provide a contraceptive (odds ratio, 1.9).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Controversies about contraception are ongoing but among obstetrician-gynecologists, objections and refusals to provide contraceptives are infrequent.
authors.affiliation: Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. rlawrence@uchicago.edu
authors.forename: Ryan E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.forename: Kenneth A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Rasinski
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Farr A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Curlin
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003267:Contraception; D006176:Gynecology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D014481:United States