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The Experience of Genetic Counselors Working with Patients Facing the Decision of Pregnancy Termination after 24 Weeks Gestation

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Journal of Genetic Counseling

Abstract

Prenatal genetic counselors are health care professionals who counsel women making reproductive decisions which include decisions such as terminating pregnancies due to fetal anomalies. Little is known about the experiences and practices of prenatal genetic counselors working with women who have the option of termination after 24 weeks gestation. In this national survey of 168 genetic counselors who have practiced prenatal genetic counseling, we asked about their general practice patterns, including indications for which termination is offered and types of abortion care services that are coordinated by genetic counselors. We report respondents’ self-assessments of level of understanding of federal abortion law and abortion procedures. Seventy-six percent of respondents have offered and counseled on termination after 24 weeks and 93% of respondents believe it is the responsibility of the counselor to discuss this option with patients. However, one-third report that they have some or no understanding of the procedures and three-quarters report that they have some or no understanding of federal abortion law. The results of this study provide insight into knowledge and experiences of genetic counselors working with these patients, allowing for improved genetic counselor training and continuing education to provide better guidance and develop more effective means of assisting patients.

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Acknowledgements

This study was conducted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the first author’s degree of Master of Science in Genetic Counseling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Genetics Department, Kaiser Permanente, Fresno, CA, USA

    Rachel N. A. Graziani

  2. 2071 Herndon Avenue, Clovis, CA, 93611, USA

    Rachel N. A. Graziani

  3. Genetics Department, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, CA, USA

    Laurie Nemzer

  4. Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Jennifer Kerns

Authors
  1. Rachel N. A. Graziani
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  2. Laurie Nemzer
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  3. Jennifer Kerns
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Correspondence to Rachel N. A. Graziani.

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Conflict of Interest

Rachel Graziani, Laurie Nemzer, and Jennifer Kerns declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human Studies and Informed Consent

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

Animal Studies

No animal studies were carried out by the authors for this article.

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Graziani, R.N.A., Nemzer, L. & Kerns, J. The Experience of Genetic Counselors Working with Patients Facing the Decision of Pregnancy Termination after 24 Weeks Gestation. J Genet Counsel 27, 626–634 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-017-0151-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-017-0151-2

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