A Southwest Virginia family is suing the Bristol Women’s Health clinic and Dickenson County Department of Social Services (DSS) for allegedly pressuring their 15-year-old daughter into obtaining an abortion. The plaintiffs allege in the $15million lawsuit that a DSS employee persuaded the teenager to book an appointment for a wanted pregnancy, leading to negative physical and emotional effects. They also claim that DSS failed to inform the girl’s parents or guardian as legally required. DDS and the clinic claim that they handled the situation in accordance with the law, and deny that the teenager was pressured.
Coercing abortion presents a breach of medical ethics on several levels. In addition to the harm caused to the human being in the womb, pressuring pregnant women to terminate their pregnancies violates our duty to obtain informed consent from our patients. Evidence shows that abortion can have profound negative mental health effects for women, and a risk factor for such negative effects is coercion in the abortion experience. Unfortunately, improper abortion counseling and coercion on the part of medical professionals occurs too frequently. Pro-choice US Representative Cori Bush shared that she faced pressure by her abortion clinic to complete an abortion that she felt unsure about. AAPLOG’s Practice Bulletin 4 offers guidelines on counseling the abortion-vulnerable patient. This information may prove useful to medical professionals committed to giving their patients complete and accurate information about a procedure that has permanent effects on their lives.
