A 28-Year-Old Woman Visits Her Gynecologist, Who Has Been Providing

A 28-year-old woman visits her gynecologist, who has been providing routine treatment to her for the previous ten years. The patient received a positive home pregnancy test last week despite not having menstruated in over two months. Despite her desire to have children in the future, she has been experiencing a lot of stress recently and believes that caring for a child is the last thing she needs right now. At 7 weeks gestation, a pelvic scan reveals an intrauterine pregnancy, and the patient requests that the gynecologist terminate the pregnancy as soon as feasible. On moral grounds, the gynecologist does not conduct abortions, yet she is trained in the technique. Which of the following is the best course of action?

A) Agree to perform the abortion because the procedure is within the physician's scope of training and there is a duty to provide care in a timely manner.
B) Discuss the risks of age-related fertility decline and encourage the patient to reconsider because she wants to have children someday.
C) Encourage the patient to take additional time to consider alternate options for the pregnancy.
D) Politely explain that on moral grounds, the physician is unable to perform the abortion or refer the patient for an abortion.
E) Refer the patient to another provider who performs abortions.

Correct Answer:

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