Many patients have recounted their horrendous experiences asking their primary care or OB/Gyn doctor about where to get an abortion. While it horrifies me that any clinician would humiliate a patient this way, I feel even worse when one of my patients tells me that she hesitated to talk to me about abortion. Thus, I decided to make my office into an obviously pro-choice environment.
My patients already know that I love doing prenatal and infant care - the waiting room has a large bulletin board with my patients’ baby pictures. I needed to find a similar way to let my patients know that I will support them whether or not they decide to continue their pregnancies.
When I came across a large poster of Planned Parenthood's, in bold red white and blue letters even, that says: "PROUDLY: PRO-FAMILY, PRO-WOMAN, PRO-CHOICE" I decided that this was perfect for my exam room. I put it up on one wall. On another wall I have a large painting, obviously done by a child, and another wall has an international picture of children holding hands. Then, I placed smaller buttons and bumper stickers here and there on the bulletin boards with messages such as "You are not alone, 45% of women have had an abortion" and "Ask me about Emergency Contraception". Now the room feels more balanced.
We have so little time during our office visits, yet patients often sit in my exam room for 10 or 15 minutes waiting for me. I knew my "atmosphere" was working when a patient said to me a few weeks after I had redecorated, "I don't know what it is about your office, but I feel so comfortable here." (I had to laugh because my office is so shabby: badly in need of new paint, new curtains and a modern sink. As a salaried employee of a community health center, I can redecorate only in small ways.) Maybe what made that patient feel comfortable is really the oven mitts I use as stirrup covers on the exam table, but I like to think it is the posters and buttons as well.
Over the years since I have redecorated, many patients have commented. No one has ever voiced any discomfort. The most moving revelations have come from women in their late fifties and older who have taken the time to tell me about their abortions before 1973: amazing, scary, brave stories. And then they thank me for helping make sure younger women will never have to suffer the way they did. My patients reaffirm for me their need for doctors to be open to hearing their dilemmas about contraception and abortion. Many women who have had abortions are living with a nagging fear about future infertility. They need reassurance about this. Almost every woman has experienced a few stomach-knotting days before her period came late. Women appreciate having a doctor who actually wants to talk with them about pregnancy prevention and who will support them if their method fails.
Sometimes it is useful to survey patients to build support for adding early abortion services.
