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And many med students say they deserve a chance to discover their limits--Do they have the nerve to terminate a first-trimester pregnancy? A second-trimester?--before choosing to specialize in ob-gyn. Faughnan decided she could perform only first-trimester abortions. "People need to come to decisions on their own," says Elizabeth Dodge, a student at the University of Texas-Southwestern. "Before, the choice was effectively taken away because we were given no information."
The most important test of MSFC begins now, as the first wave of members leave their residencies and launch their careers. Will they actually provide abortions? Will those who do be stuck in the specialty clinics that are easy targets for abortion opponents? Or will they lobby to perform abortions in hospitals or in their private offices as a small part of a larger practice? At least now, educated in the procedure, these students are equipped to choose.