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Jan 22
As the national organizer for RHAP, I have the privilege of working with some of the most amazing activist physicians in the country. I am constantly reminded of the commitment and perseverance it takes to provide abortion care in so many places. A sterling example of this persistent dedication is Dr. Julie Johnston. I first…
Nov 14
Back in April the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–the organization that sets the training standards and accredits all residency training programs in the United States–updated the training standards for Family Medicine. Instead of making the training requirements in women’s health stronger, they weakened them! Training in contraception was no longer required. In fact, family…
Oct 03
Last week I saw the film After Tiller, a documentary that explores third-trimester abortion care in the United States by focusing on the only four doctors publicly known to offer this procedure. The screening was hosted by the Reproductive Health Access Project and the film was followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers, Martha…
Jun 24
When I give a presentation about the abortion services we provide in our family medicine clinic, people often ask, “Do you have a counselor to meet with your patients to help them?” I’m a bit put off by this question. I want to say, “It’s my patients with a new diagnosis of diabetes or high blood…
Jun 19
Spring is a busy season at the Reproductive Health Access Project. In the past few months we’ve presented an a number of academic conferences across the United States. Here’s a peak at some of our spring travels. On March 7th-8th our educational director Dr. Ruth Lesnewski presented at the ACU Health IT for the Underserved…
Mar 05
We at RHAP have always known that just because clinicians are trained in abortion care doesn’t mean they will provide abortion care. Whether or not clinicians can provide this care rests on many factors including: where the individual practices are located, the support of their colleagues, the ability to access the right equipment and supplies,…
Dec 12
It’s often difficult for doctors who received abortion training while in residency to integrate the service once they are in practice. They face many barriers including resistant staff members, malpractice costs, and the need for additional clinical training. An experienced mentor can be helpful in developing strategies for overcoming these barriers. Each spring the Reproductive…
Dec 11
Apparently IUD users love their IUD so much they can’t help themselves from spreading the word about how great a contraceptive option it is. New York Magazine is calling this phenomena “IUD Evangelism.” Why is getting an IUD an almost spiritual experience? “..learning about the IUD is like discovering that some benevolent God has been listening to…
Oct 10
The medical students and residents we train are often surprised at the emphasis we put on language in the exam room. Take this recent story from a family doctor in our practice who was working with a medical student: While examining the patient she [the medical student] used phrases like, “Scoot your bottom down until…
Jun 27
“If she were a normal patient…” Physicians use the words “normal” and “abnormal” to differentiate lab values and physical exam findings. But on this evening in particular, in our student-run free clinic in Pennsylvania, our patient had no apparent anomalies. When the physician implied she was abnormal, he wasn’t referring to her health. He was…