VIDEO: Most medical students worry abortion laws will 'hinder their future care'

ORLANDO — Most medical students think abortion education should be included in medical curriculum, and many worry about their ability to care for future patients since Roe v. Wade was overturned, according to an expert.

Patricia Zielinski, a DO candidate at Nova Southeastern University, told Healio about the poster she presented Friday at the Osteopathic Medical Education conference, or OMED — “a somewhat small project” that she hopes “has a large implication.”

“When the Supreme Court officially overturned Roe vs. Wade ... as far as us medical students go, it was something that we didn’t know what it would mean for us,” she said. “We were mostly interested in how this would affect medical schools — specifically curriculum, just because we saw the dynamics in the political landscape; each state was kind of doing its own thing.”

Zielinski and colleagues administered an anonymous survey that ultimately included 158 total responses from medical students at her institution. More than half said they were concerned “even responding to a survey” about abortion “could potentially affect their medical standing or their education,” she said.

Of the respondents, more than 80% said they believed abortion education and training should be included in medical education, Zielinski said. Many also said that “the criminalization of abortion would hinder their future care of their patients” and that “there should be protections in place for physicians.”

“I hope that all future physicians, all medical students are trained to the best of their abilities,” Zielinski concluded. “Personally, I would love to learn everything I can, and I wouldn’t want a specific topic or a certain aspect of medicine to be left out.”

Reference:

• Zielinski P. Attitudes of medical students of future of medical education and clinical practice after the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision. Presented at: OMED; Oct. 6-8, 2023 (hybrid meeting).