title: Genetic Counselors' Perception of the Effect on Practice of Laws Restricting Abortion.
abstract: In 2013, twenty-two states enacted seventy provisions restricting access to abortion. The legislation restricted access to abortions by instituting more regulations on providers and facilities, by prohibiting abortion prior to viability, by restricting funding available to patients and by requiring patients to wait a mandatory time period before having a procedure. Genetic counselors are trained to provide unbiased, comprehensive information in a non-directive style in order to allow patients to exercise their reproductive freedom. We developed a survey of 37 questions for genetic counselors to gauge the potential impact these provisions will have on their ability to be a patient advocate. A total of 286 individuals completed the survey; however, not all respondents answered all questions. Qualitative questions complemented quantitative survey entries, allowing respondents to input thoughts and examples. Results indicate genetic counselors in all regions share similar professional opinions about the provisions. More genetic counselors in the South and Midwest noticed changes impacting patients since the provisions have been enacted. These regional differences correlate with the location of states that have seem the greatest increase in antiabortion provisions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Maternal Fetal Care Center, NYU Langone Medical Center, 150 E 32nd St. Suite 101, New York, NY, 10016, USA. caitcooney@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Caitlin
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4383-0288
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cooney
authors.affiliation: The Joan H. Marks Graduate Program in Human Genetics, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hercher
authors.affiliation: New York City Health + Hospitals, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Komal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bajaj
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000072117:Counselors / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005193:Family Planning Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005260:Female; D005817:Genetic Counseling / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D014481:United States
keywords: Abortion legislation; Counseling style; Patient advocacy