The Reproductive Health Access Network- our community of 2,000 clinicians who work locally and nationally to expand access to abortion, contraception, and miscarriage care- continues to grow by leaps and bounds. In April, we were able to participate in three exciting events that reminded us how much the Network has evolved since its inception in 2007.

Last week, RHAP hosted our national Network gathering at the National Abortion Federation’s annual conference. At this meeting, 40 clinicians from states across the country joined us for appetizers, drinks, and great conversation. Before opening up the space for more casual networking, the group came together and shared with one another why they feel being an abortion provider makes them a better clinician overall. The stories we heard were funny, heart-wrenching, and inspiring–and highlighted the importance of celebrating the unique spaces that family doctors and other primary care providers occupy in abortion care. These national gatherings offer us an opportunity to continue fostering community beyond the local Clusters. This is especially important for the many clinicians who don’t live in a Cluster area, and who may be more isolated than other Network members. It is always remarkable to hear about the different challenges and successes that our Network members face on a daily basis.  

On April 25^th, Laura Riker (RHAP Senior Program Manager), Natalie Kopke (RHAP Program Associate), and Dr. Gabrielle Surick (Resident at the Institute for Family Health and NYC Cluster member) attended the Institute for Family Health’s annual Research Symposium. We displayed a poster entitled “Expanding the Reproductive Health Access Project Network: From 2007 to the 2016 election and beyond.” This poster examined the growth of the Network, not just after the 2016 election, but since it began back in 2007.

Most recently, a contingent of RHAP’s reproductive health advocates attended the American Academy of Family Physician’s National Conference of Constituency Leaders (NCCL) meeting in Kansas City. NCCL is an opportunity for family physicians who are part of member constituencies (women, minorities, new physicians, international medical graduates, and LGBT physicians) to come together and to learn, network, and develop leadership skills. These constituencies also have the ability to author, present, and vote for resolutions that are relevant to them. This year, RHAP sent nearly 20 representatives from our Cluster states to NCCL.  They advocated for a variety of reproductive health and justice-related resolutions, including: Decreasing Maternal Mortality, End the REMS, Oppose Fetal Personhood Language, Decriminalize Self-Induced Abortion, and Increase the number of Reproductive Health Topics at FMX- all of which were adopted!

We’re so grateful to all of our Network members for being such inspiring and driven leaders in our movement. If you are a clinician and would like to be connected with the Reproductive Health Access Network, please email Senior Program Manager, Laura Riker, at laura@reproductiveaccess.org.