Federal abortion protection reversals have increased the importance of understanding and addressing regional disparities in clinical abortion training. We surveyed Medical Students for Choice leaders in July 2022 about abortion training and analyzed results by state abortion laws. Of 100 survey respondents, 50 % reported institutional access to abortion training (17.5 % in restrictive states; 71.2 % in permissive states; χ2 = 25.9, p < 0.00001) and 46 % indicated that they or a peer had attended a visiting student elective (VSE) covering abortion care (47.5 % in restricted states; 51.9 % in permissive states). Availability of clinical abortion training varies geographically by state abortion laws. VSEs may be underutilized.
Keywords: Abortion education; Clinical training; Family planning; Undergraduate medical education; Visiting student electives.
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