Abortion training for medical residents is already a logistical nightmare in the U.S.
ended would be “on a whole different level,” Turok says.
There are signs that abortion training is already inadequate in the U.S., especially for abortions beyond those administered in the first trimester. According to, only 71% of residency directors who responded to a survey thought their ob-gyn graduates were competent in an abortion procedure common early in pregnancy called first-trimester aspiration, and only 66% felt residents were sufficiently trained in medication abortion.
To augment their training, many such residents end up needing to travel to other states. But that won’t be a solution to the drastic shortage of training opportunities that could develop if abortion is all of a sudden illegal in many states, says Dr. Kavita Vinekar, an ob-gyn specializing in complex family planning who co-authored the ACOG commentary. “[It] won’t be feasible at this scale,” she says.