AbstractThirty family planning counselors were studied to see if they experience conflict in having to choose between safety and effectiveness of the contraceptives they recommend to their clients. Three variables were measured: (1) knowledge about the adverse effects of the pill and the IUD, (2) the degree to which counselors perceive their own influence in the contraceptive decision‐making process, and (3) counselor conflict. Low levels of perceived influence and conflict were found, as well as a moderate level of knowledge‐ability. A significant inverse correlation between knowledge and conflict was found.