Can any physician perform an abortion?

No, not just any doctors. There are doctors that specialize in it. Hence why there are abortion clinics, there are doctors that specialize in that specific field. However, there are doctors that don’t specialize in it, but can still perform abortions because of their training.

Yes, people whose lives aren’t at stake can get one, depending on the states laws.
I got one when I was seventeen, with no parental consent needed (in the state of New Jersey).

Well, it’s a surgical procedure, so I think it needs to at least be narrowed down to “any surgeon can perform an abortion.” After that, I would imagine they probably could, but… I mean, to draw a parallel, if you’re going through divorce proceedings, you probably aren’t going to hire a personal injury lawyer. Sure, they’re still a lawyer, and they’re technically allowed to take whatever case they like, but they have a specialty and it’s probably for a reason.

Coat hanger doctors can perform it doesn’t even have to be a doctor .
Tho yes i think it does have to be a special doctor who gives you the pill or whatever they use these days to abort it

@sandystrachan Once again, I don’t understand how the whole “coat hanger” thing is even funny.

You can get it done surgically or through a pill, like @sandystrachan said. However it all depends how far along you are, and if you’re not too far along, you can choose which you would rather do. Both however are very painful. I did the surgical route. I still had to take a pill to make my uterus bigger, and had to be in the clinic pretty much all day.

As there are a number of different type of abortions and few actually involve surgery, yes. Also as midwives and backyard grandmas are capable, a Doctor would have to be far more capable.

When I was having a miscarriage, my first so I went to the ER, the ER doctor examined me and they did an internal ultrasound to see if things were leaving my body…they told me they’d call the GYN on call to do a d&c if it wasn’t leaving my body properly (thank god it was)
I think you can go to an ER and they should always have on staff someone who can perform a d&c, which is not just meant for abortions, it’s a life saving procedure sometimes because a woman can become severely ill from having retained tissue from a miscarriage. Also, sometimes after a woman gives birth, she doesn’t deliver all the afterbirth and they need to do the procedure…an ob/gyn is best for this.
I don’t think any doctor can perform the procedure, probably every surgeon. But, if I were having someone that close to my uterus, I’d want them to be pretty skilled.

I have trouble believing that any gastroenterologist, optometrist, or proctologist has the knowledge to perform an abortion, just as they wouldn’t be able to pull a tooth, deliver a baby, or perform heart surgery. Common sense.

@laureth I have trouble believing that any gastroenterologist, optometrist, or proctologist has the knowledge to perform an abortion, just as they wouldn’t be able to pull a tooth, deliver a baby, or perform heart surgery. Common sense.

No, common sense is being sensible. Heart surgery is not remotely similar to abortion. Taxi drivers and Police can deliver babies. Optometry is heavily equipment based, but if you had the equipment?

The big issue is that I, could perform an abortion. Using a speculum, a curette, dilating a cervix, etc., is not stupendously difficult. I am sure that any trained medical practitioner, regardless of specialty, could do it better. Abortions are not difficult, and if there are no complications it is not life threatening. If there are complications, a Doctor from any specialty has as much skill as another one with regard to trauma management, (with the exception of trained ER staff).

@laureth and @darkscribe: optometrists aren’t actually medical doctors….I think you mean ophthalmologists?

@La_chica_gomela darkscribe: optometrists aren’t actually medical doctors….I think you mean ophthalmologists?

I know, and I wasn’t suggesting they were. I was responding to post from laureth – who mentioned optometrists.

…but clearly an optometrist cannot perform just any procedure that an actual medical doctor could…I don’t think of an optometrist as a “medical” practitioner…maybe that’s just me. I wouldn’t want a dental hygienist or a podiatrist near that area of my body either, even if they might be a “practitioner”, it’s not the same thing.

@La_chica_gomela …but clearly an optometrist cannot perform just any procedure that an actual medical doctor could

You aren’t following the thread? I did not introduce optometrists. It could just as easily be motor mechanics. The point is that for someone with a little intelligence, a little dexterity and the ability to do a little research, an abortion is not difficult. It is why all over the world for centuries, it has been performed by people without medical training or experience.

It would certainly not be difficult for anyone who had medical training, even in a field other than obstetrics. The question was “can any physician perform an abortion”, not can an optometrist perform an abortion. My response is, yes, it is a simple procedure and anyone with medical training should be far more adept than the thousands without training who are already doing it.

@DarkScribe: Yes, I’ve read the thread. I know you didn’t introduce optometry. I guess my contention is that I wouldn’t want anyone who wasn’t a genuine medical doctor near my lady-parts that way, whether they be optometrist or auto mechanic…

@La_chica_gomela I wouldn’t want anyone who wasn’t a genuine medical doctor near my lady-parts that way,

Nor me, I wouldn’t want anyone who wasn’t a Doctor near my lady’s parts – if there was an option. I doubt whether my lady would either – I am the only non-professional who gets to play there. :)

I should have said “eye doctor,” my bad. Carry on.