The State of Abortion Training in Medical School and Family Medicine Residency Curricula: A Scoping Literature Review

This project aims to assess how abortion education has been integrated into medical training over the past decade, with a particular focus on understanding its current state in medical schools and family medicine residencies, including those offering specialized programs affiliated with RHEDI (Reproductive Health Education in Family Medicine) and TEACH (Training in Early Abortion for Comprehensive Healthcare). Given the ever-evolving legal landscape following the June 4th, 2022 Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, this review explores how both federal- and state-level legal restrictions impact access to abortion training and attempts to identify gaps in both didactic and clinical education. A scoping literature review was conducted to determine the state and quality of abortion training in medical school curricula and family medicine residency programs in the United States. The findings in this review provide insights into how these current gaps may affect future physicians’ abilities to provide comprehensive reproductive healthcare, particularly in states with restrictive abortion laws. This review will also contribute to ongoing public health efforts to improve reproductive healthcare education and ensure equitable access to safe abortion services. Additionally, these findings highlight the need for further research to evaluate the long-term effects of abortion training restrictions on physician competency and patient outcomes, as well as to explore potential strategies for expanding educational opportunities despite legal and institutional barriers.