1. Age:

AGE:

50.61 Years

RELATED FINDINGS:

According to the American Medical Association, the average age for all physicians in the U.S. is 45, with 29% of them over 55. The PROJECT CHOICE survey found that the average age of abortion providers is 50.61 years, with 33.64% over 55. Additionally, it also found that 54.07% are over 50. This means that without a sudden influx of younger practitioners, an abortion provider pool that is already relatively old is poised to become even older.

2. Sex:

SEX:	PERCENT:
Female	19.57%
Male	80.43%

3. Marital Status:

MARITAL STATUS:	PERCENT:
Married	78.55%
Divorced	13.09%
Single	7.27%
Widowed	1.09%

4. Number of times married:

TIMES MARRIED

1.41 Times

5. Number of children living at home:

CHILDREN AT HOME

1.07 Children

6. Religion:

RELIGION:	PERCENT:
Jewish	26.38%
Methodist	11.42%
Catholic	10.63%
Episcopalian	5.51%
Presbyterian	3.54%
Baptist	3.15%
Other Protestant	6.30%
Non-Specified Protestant	8.66%
Other	8.27%
None / Atheist	16.14%

7. Was your medical education obtained in the U.S.?

ANSWER:	PERCENT:
YES	87.13%
NO	12.87%

8. Do you provide abortion services in the community in which you live?

ANSWER:	PERCENT:
YES	85.51%
NO	14.49%

9. How many years have you been providing abortion care?

YEARS:

14.54 Years

RELATED FINDINGS:

One question the survey helped answer was whether the problems associated with being an abortion provider were related to length of service. In short, the issue was whether the negative aspects of being known as an abortion provider are part of the abortion provider’s world right from the start, or if they accumulate over an extended period of time.

To gauge that, responses were divided into those who have been providers for six years or fewer, and those who have been providers for over six years. Then the first group’s answers were examined to see how they differed from the total group, on those questions which indicate what an abortion provider perceives his or her image to be within the medical community. Those questions are SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT questions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

The result was that the differences were so small they became statistically irrelevant. The average difference for all questions was slightly more than 5% from the total group, with no example of it exceeding 7.5%

The other issue the survey examined was how anti-abortion activity differed based on how long someone had been an abortion provider. The basic question was whether some sort of “grace period” exists at the beginning of a provider’s service, during which anti-abortion activity either does not occur, or occurs at a lower level.

The data showed that no such “grace period” exists. Among providers in the “six years or fewer” group, 84.21% answered yes to HARASSMENT AND VIOLENCE question 1 compared to 86.59% for the whole group.

It seems that when SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT and HARASSMENT AND VIOLENCE comparisons are made between those who might be referred to as “rookie” providers, and those who might be called “veteran” providers, the only conclusion is that the consequences of being an abortion provider accrue equally in each group.

10. What percentage of your practice is abortion care?

ANSWER:

39.12%

RELATED FINDINGS:

Another question the survey sought to answer was whether the problems associated with being an abortion provider varied based on what percentage abortion is of their total practice.

A virtually identical method was used to gather this data as was used in the RELATED FINDINGS section of question 9. Respondents who said that abortion was 20% or less of their practice were separated, then their answers were evaluated on the basis of how they differed from the total group, on the same SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT questions used in question 9. As in question 9, these particular questions were selected because they indicate what an abortion provider perceives his or her image to be within the medical community.

The results in this instance were even closer than they were in question 9. The average difference was less than 2% from the total group, and in no case was it as much as 5%.

The other issue examined was how anti-abortion activity differed based on what percentage a provider said abortion was of his or her total practice. As was the case in question 9, there was very little difference here. Among providers in the “20% and under” group, 84.47% answered yes to HARASSMENT AND VIOLENCE question 1, compared to 86.59% for the whole group.

When analyzing these SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT and HARASSMENT AND VIOLENCE comparisons, it becomes apparent that no matter how small a percentage abortion represents in a provider’s overall practice, he or she experiences the same consequences as those faced by people whose primary practice is abortion.

11. After which point of gestation will you no longer perform an elective pregnancy termination?

WEEKS GESTATION:

17.02 Weeks

RELATED FINDINGS:

Another issue addressed was whether abortion providers who limit their practice to first trimester abortions experience consequences similar to those who do not so limit their practice.

In order to answer this question, the method used in the RELATED FINDINGS sections of questions 9 and 10 was employed here. And although the results were not as close as in the two previous questions, they were still remarkably close. The average difference was slightly more than 6% from the total group, with no instance of it being more than 9%.

When one looks at the RELATED FINDINGS of just these three questions (9, 10, and 11), it becomes obvious that within the medical community, and among anti-abortion forces, there are apparently no degrees or levels of abortion provider. In both arenas, one is either seen as an abortionist or one is not. In short, the data here suggests that a “rookie” provider, who only does early term abortions, and for who abortion represents a very small part of his or her total practice, will encounter the same environment as someone who has been a provider for twenty years, does nothing but abortions, and does them in the third trimester.