Behavioral Science & Ethics USMLE Step 1 Practice Question
A 19-year-old woman presents to urgent care 18 hours after unprotected intercourse and requests emergency contraception. She is hemodynamically stable, denies gynecologic surgery or contraindications to hormonal therapy, and has a negative urine pregnancy test. She states she has reliable transportation and insurance. The physician has deeply held religious beliefs that contraception is morally wrong and has never prescribed contraceptive medications. The physician is one of two providers on duty; the other provider is unavailable for 6 hours. Which of the following best describes the physician's ethical and legal obligation?
Answer choices
- ARefuse to provide emergency contraception based on conscientious objection, and document this refusal in the medical record
- BPrescribe emergency contraception while clearly stating personal disapproval of the patient's moral choices
- CProvide emergency contraception without delay or refer to the available colleague; if unavailable, arrange immediate referral to an accessible providerCorrect answer
- DCounsel the patient extensively about alternative contraceptive methods and request she return after consulting with family
- EProvide emergency contraception but require the patient to sign an informed consent acknowledging the physician's moral reservations
- FDelay prescribing while explaining the physician's religious objections in detail to allow the patient to make an informed decision about seeking care elsewhere
See the full explanation
Get the correct-answer rationale, why each distractor is wrong, the underlying mechanism, and high-yield associations — plus adaptive practice that targets your weak areas — with a free MedBoardPRO account.