ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how physicians negotiated requests for first-trimester abortions. It attempts to depict some of the factors that influenced physicians' decisions to agree or refuse to perform abortions. The organization of private practice permitted doctors to handle a standard, legal, and relatively safe procedure on their own less standard but perfectly legal terms. Daleton group and solo practitioners had initiated various strategies to respond to requests for elective abortions. Dr. Evans, stressed his professional identity and the reputation of his medical practice in the community when explaining why he no longer performed elective abortions. The changed context of medical practice for younger physicians can be seen another way in a cross-tabulation of their willingness to perform elective abortions with the degree of religiosity they professed. The contrast between abortion work in particular and obstetrics revealed this conflict more clearly. The obstetrician is committed to protecting the mother and newborn as well as possible.
