Abstract
IntroductionPrior research shows that maternal and child health (MCH) and family planning (FP) divisions in health departments (HDs) engage in some abortion-related activities, largely when legally mandated; some agencies also initiate abortion-related activities. Yet little is known about health department MCH/FP professionals’ views on how abortion-related work aligns with their professional mission.MethodsBetween November 2017 and June 2018, we conducted in-depth interviews with 29 MCH/FP professionals working in 22 state and local HDs across the U.S. We conducted inductive thematic analysis to identify themes regarding participants’ professional mission and values in relation to abortion-related work.ResultsParticipants described a strong sense of professional mission. Two contrasting perspectives on abortion and the MCH/FP mission emerged: some participants saw abortion as clearly outside the scope of their mission, even a threat to it, while others saw abortion as solidly within their mission. In states with supportive or restrictive abortion policy environments, professionals’ views on abortion and professional mission generally aligned with their overall state policy environment; in states with middle-ground abortion policy environments, a range of perspectives on abortion and professional mission were expressed. Participants who saw abortion as within their mission anchored their work in core public health values such as evidence-based practice, social justice, and ensuring access to health care.DiscussionThere appears to be a lack of consensus about whether and how abortion fits into the mission of MCH/FP. More work is needed to articulate whether and how abortion aligns with the MCH/FP mission.
Highlights
Prior research shows that maternal and child health (MCH) and family planning (FP) divisions in health departments (HDs) engage in some abortion-related activities, largely when legally mandated; some agencies initiate abortion-related activities
The current analysis explores this theme to address the question of how MCH and FP professionals in HDs view abortion-related work and its fit with their professional mission
We focused on professionals in MCH and FP divisions because these are the health department divisions that focus on public health activities related to meeting people’s pregnancy prevention needs and providing public health services to pregnant people
Summary
Prior research shows that maternal and child health (MCH) and family planning (FP) divisions in health departments (HDs) engage in some abortion-related activities, largely when legally mandated; some agencies initiate abortion-related activities. Little is known about health department MCH/FP professionals’ views on how abortion-related work aligns with their professional mission. In the field of maternal and child health (MCH), pregnancy is viewed as a unique moment in the life course that provides an opportunity to identify health risks and improve outcomes for pregnant people and their children (Healthy People 2020, 2014). People unable to obtain abortions have more health and social service needs (Berglas et al, 2019), which may increase the number of services state and local health departments (HDs) need to provide. This evidence suggests that abortion is relevant to the MCH mission. Little is known about how MCH and FP professionals in HDs view abortion-related work
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
