Researcher Carole Joffe describes how in the early years of legalized abortion, abortion became the province of clinics which were run for profit, leading to a decline in one-on-one counseling:
“As the decade [1970s] progressed and as the delivery of abortions became more routinized and widespread, the influence of lay counselors – especially those identified with the feminist movement – began to decline. There were several well-publicized strikes and firings of nonmedical staff members as old understandings gave way to new management philosophies that saw counseling as too time-consuming and costly… Most abortion facilities, especially freestanding clinics, still offer some form of counseling, though in many cases this consists of information giving without a genuine discussion of the recipient’s feelings about the forthcoming procedure.”
Carole Joffe The Regulation of Sexuality: Experiences of Family-Planning Workers (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1986) 36 – 37
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