Yes, OB/GYNs do perform abortions, but most don’t. Only about 14% of practicing OB/GYNs in the United States provide abortions themselves, even though 97% encounter patients who seek them. The vast majority of abortions in the U.S. happen at specialized clinics rather than in a private OB/GYN’s office, and the legal landscape has shifted dramatically since 2022.
How Many OB/GYNs Actually Provide Abortions
A national survey of OB/GYNs under age 65 found that 14.4% provided abortion services. Female OB/GYNs were more likely to offer them (about 19%) compared to male OB/GYNs (about 11%). Where the doctor practices also matters: roughly 16% of OB/GYNs at non-religious facilities provided abortions, compared to about 7% at Catholic-affiliated hospitals.
The reasons most OB/GYNs don’t provide abortions vary. Some have personal or religious objections. Others practice in states with heavy restrictions. Many simply work in settings where the infrastructure isn’t set up for it. Still, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) takes the position that all patients should receive a referral to an abortion provider, even if their own doctor is personally opposed.
Where Most Abortions Happen
Clinics handle the overwhelming majority of abortions in the U.S., about 95%. Specialized abortion clinics alone account for 60%, while nonspecialized clinics (such as family planning centers) provide another 35%. Private OB/GYN offices and hospitals together account for only about 5%.
This means that even if your OB/GYN is willing and trained to perform an abortion, they may not offer the service in their own practice. Instead, they’re more likely to refer you to a clinic that handles a higher volume and has the dedicated staff and equipment in place.
Abortion Is Part of OB/GYN Training
Abortion care is a required competency in OB/GYN residency programs under national accreditation standards. Every program must either provide clinical experience in abortion procedures or arrange access to that training elsewhere. Individual residents can opt out for moral or religious reasons, but the program itself is required to offer it.
This requirement exists in part because the same procedures used in elective abortion are also used to manage miscarriages and other pregnancy complications. Suction aspiration and dilation and curettage (D&C) are standard tools for treating pregnancies that stop developing on their own. An OB/GYN who can’t perform these procedures safely would be limited in handling common emergencies like incomplete miscarriage or heavy bleeding.
For more complex cases, a subspecialty called Complex Family Planning exists. These are OB/GYNs who complete an additional two-year fellowship focused on all methods of pregnancy termination in both the first and second trimester, with particular expertise in medically complicated patients. They handle situations like pregnancies with dangerous placental problems or patients in intensive care settings.
How State Laws Have Changed the Picture
After the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision overturned the federal right to abortion, more than two dozen states moved to ban or heavily restrict the procedure. This reshaped what OB/GYNs can do in practice, even when their training prepared them to provide abortion care.
Fewer than 20% of office-based OB/GYNs reported providing abortions for unwanted pregnancies before Dobbs, and that number has likely dropped further in states with bans. But the issue extends beyond elective procedures. Pregnancy termination is sometimes medically necessary to treat dangerous complications like placental abruption, severe preeclampsia, eclampsia, and ectopic pregnancies. In states with bans, OB/GYNs have reported being forced to delay or alter care that would normally be straightforward, sometimes with serious consequences for patients.
In a qualitative study of 54 OB/GYNs practicing in states that banned abortion after Dobbs, clinicians described feeling “muzzled, handcuffed, or straitjacketed” by legal restrictions. Many reported significant moral distress from providing care they knew fell below established medical standards.
What This Means If You’re Looking for Care
If you’re seeking an abortion, your own OB/GYN may or may not provide one. The answer depends on their personal practice, the state you live in, and the type of facility where they work. It’s entirely reasonable to call your OB/GYN’s office and ask directly whether they offer abortion services or can refer you to someone who does.
In practice, most people access abortion care through dedicated clinics rather than their regular OB/GYN. If your doctor doesn’t provide abortions, ACOG’s professional guidelines say they should still help connect you with a provider who can. Not all doctors follow through on referrals, though. If you hit a dead end, reproductive health organizations like Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Federation maintain directories of providers searchable by location.
In states with bans, some patients travel to neighboring states for care. If you’re in this situation, clinics in states without restrictions are generally accustomed to seeing out-of-state patients and can walk you through the logistics when you call.