A recent article published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology evaluated how religious beliefs influenced gynecologists’ notions about when gestation begins.

The authors said that “the association between religious affiliation and beliefs about when pregnancy begins is mediated by the importance of religion in the physician’s life.”

That religious beliefs have a bearing on this question implies that said beliefs also affect other decisions in their professional practice. Indeed a paper of the same team indicates that only 4.4% of gynecologists’ opposed the use of the intrauterine device. The intrauterine device prevents in some cases implantation of fertilized ovum in the uterus, which means that 96.4% of gynecologists approve a method that leads to the loss of a great number of embryos.

A similar phenomenon occurs in physicians’ recommendations of emergency contraception. These methods prevent pregnancy approximately 50% of the time, via an antiimplantation mechanism. The fact that only 6% of US gynecologists do not approve of the use of this contraceptive method contrasts with 57% of US gynecologists believing gestation begins at fertilization.

A similar phenomenon is seen in assisted reproduction. Only about 5% of US gynecologists do not approve of the use of these techniques, although a great number of embryos are lost through their use.

That is why we believe that, for issues that carry a certain ethical weight, religious beliefs do not seem to have an influence on their recommendation; they will probably have even less influence on the “theoretical” issues, such as whether gestation begins at fertilization or implantation.