Relationship Between United States Medical Students' Opinions About Abortion Bans and Considerations for Training and...

We sought to understand the relationship between Kentucky medical students' personal beliefs and values about the state's restrictive abortion climate and their considerations for residency training and/or post-residency practice in Kentucky.

We surveyed medical school students enrolled in two medical schools in Kentucky about their personal beliefs and values regarding the state's abortion climate and whether they were considering residency training and/or staying post-residency in Kentucky. We used descriptive statistics to examine differences in responses, stratified by consideration for residency training and staying. We further examined these relationships among the subset of students who were considering a residency in obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN).

The survey response rate was 17.9%. Overall, 77.8% (n = 210) of respondents indicated that the current anti-abortion climate in Kentucky did not align with their personal beliefs and values. Among all medical students, 51.1% (n = 138) indicated they were considering staying in Kentucky post-residency, including 29% of those considering an OBGYN residency. Among those considering an OBGYN residency (n = 74), 51.4% (n = 38) reported that they were considering staying in Kentucky for residency, compared with 48.6% (n = 69) of those who were not considering an OBGYN residency.

While most responding medical students reported their personal beliefs and values do not align with the state's anti-abortion climate, the majority are considering staying in Kentucky for residency and post-residency practice, regardless of their interest in an OBGYN residency. This suggests that opinions about the anti-abortion climate may not factor prominently in students' decisions about residency training and practice location.