May 2022

Abortion is Still Legal 

We have been preparing for the potential outcomes of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. Nevertheless, reading the leaked opinion that showed that the Supreme Court is ready to overturn Roe v. Wade was devastating. We stand in solidarity with clinicians and clinic staff who provide abortion care, abortion funds, practical support organizations, reproductive justice advocates, and most importantly, people who have abortions.

Until we actually see an official final opinion, abortion is still legal in the United States. To whatever extent it is accessible in your community, you can still legally receive abortion care. We want to acknowledge, however, that for many people, especially communities that already face disproportionate barriers to care, abortion is and has already been out of reach. Know that no matter what happens, we will work to ensure that everyone, everywhere can make decisions about their own bodies and health care.

More information will be coming over the next few days and weeks. We still expect a final decision from the Supreme Court in June. Here is what you can do right now along with some resources that may be helpful:

• Support your local abortion fund.
• If you work in primary care, join our Reproductive Health Access Network, to work both nationally and in your community to expand access to sexual and reproductive health care.
• Join a rally this weekend.
• Take part in the Liberate Abortion campaign.
• M+A Hotline: a confidential, private and secure phone and text hotline for people in need of support for self-managed miscarriage or abortion.
• If you have questions about self-managed abortion and the law, If/When/How can help. The Repro Legal Helpline is a free, confidential source for legal advice and information on self-managed abortion. Visit ReproLegalHelpline.org or call 844-868-2812.
• INeedAnA.com – to find vetted, up to date, and personalized info on how to get an abortion ; no search or user data saved.

The Reproductive Health Access Project is committed to training, supporting, and mobilizing primary care clinicians to ensure equitable access to sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion. We are holding space to support our national community of primary care clinicians to face whatever challenges lie ahead.
Join our movement so that people can get the health care they need, when they need it, without stigma or barriers, and in an environment they trust and feel safe in.

 

Fund a Fellow, Grow an Activist

This May, the Reproductive Health Access Project (RHAP) is launching its annual spring appeal fundraising campaign and we’re asking you to join us in developing clinician activists who will fight to ensure that comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care – including abortion – is available to everyone, no matter who or where you are.

Access to abortion care has never been more threatened. In a few short weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Jackson Women’s Health v. Dobbs has the potential to either decimate or make abortion illegal in 26 states in the U.S. Training in abortion care for primary care clinicians is already extremely limited. Fewer than 6% of family medicine residency programs provide training in abortion and early pregnancy loss care. As states with supportive access laws prepare to receive patients from out-of-state, we need as many abortion providers as possible. Help us make this a possibility by supporting RHAP’s fellowship program. 

RHAP’s fellowship program helps fill this training gap and expands the provider pool. The Reproductive Health Care and Advocacy Fellowship is a year-long intensive clinical training program that develops a diverse community of family medicine leaders to provide, teach, and advocate for access to equitable and person-centered reproductive health care, including abortion. Right now, we train six fellows a year in Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Washington state and with your support, our program could expand further. 

Fellows are chosen because of their dedication to advocating for and providing abortion care in areas with greatest need, training clinicians in abortion care, and integrating justice and equity into their practice and advocacy. 

Our goal is to provide our fellows and clinicians with compassionate, equitable, and comprehensive abortion care and advocacy training. We know our fellows will have the critical skills needed to respond to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Roe this summer and beyond. Help us expand our Fellowship program to meet the growing need for clinicians that provide comprehensive reproductive health care across the country.

 

Mobilizing Small Business Power in the Fight for Abortion Access

For the past few weeks, I’ve seen colleagues, friends and heroes feel the weight of the SCOTUS draft leak—indicating their decision to end constitutional protections on abortion care is more probable than we’d hoped. Although the draft was upsetting, and it may change, we bear in mind that abortion is still legal and we will not back down from this continuous fight for justice and that investing in our local communities/elections is more pertinent than ever!

This is a time to sit with our dismay and acknowledge our anger. This is also a time to scream into your pillows and vent to a friend. But let’s not forget, this is also a time to organize, plan, and mobilize your communities, leverage your platforms, and make your voices heard. Talk about abortion with your customers, workplace colleagues, and collaborators. Express your outrage, loud and proud, and urge large corporations to get involved in the fight! Business owners are in a unique position to give back to their communities while ensuring they have access to sexual and reproductive health. 

My business, K.E.J. Services will be donating 50% of our proceeds to the Reproductive Health Access Project between May 11th and May 18th. We offer self-help guides for the abortion experience, candles for self-care, and cute stigma-busting t-shirts. 

Circulate this article widely – to your favorite business, small or large – and ask them to join in this week of action. Businesses are sustained by the trust and support of the people they serve and they can easily take a stance with these actions. It’s time that we see bold support for our right to bodily autonomy, comprehensive sexual and reproductive health–including abortion care.

By: Khashae (Shae) Jackson, she/her
Organizing and Communications Associate

 

Integrate Medication Abortion into Primary Care

Join us on May 26th at noon ET for a free online continuing education workshop to learn how to provide medication abortion care in a primary care setting.

This workshop is hosted in collaboration with the Primary Care Development Corporation. Continuing education credits are available.
This webinar was developed for clinicians and other interested health center staff and/or managers who would like to learn more about medication abortion and how to incorporate medication abortion care into their clinical practice. The online workshop includes both a didactic presentation and participatory case study exploration.

 

The objectives of the workshop are:
• Describe the steps to provide medication abortion care with mifepristone and misoprostol
• Explain the tenets of non-judgmental abortion options counseling
• Apply knowledge on medication abortion regimens to answer questions or provide follow-up care
• Access resources to solve administrative and logistical barriers to providing medication in primary care

This workshop will be led by two family physicians who provide medication abortion at a federally qualified health center.

You will also receive tools and resources to support you in counseling your patients and integrating this services into your clinical setting.

 

Learn More About RHAP’s CE Workshops

RHAP trains, mobilizes, and supports primary care clinicians looking to integrate sexual and reproductive health care into their practices. We believe that all individuals and communities should have access to sexual and reproductive health care and information with dignity, and free from coercion and judgment. 

One way we support this need is through our continuing education (CE) workshops, which are available for CME and CNE credit. RHAP has developed curricula for a variety of topics. If you’re interested in hosting a workshop or need password access, please contact network@reproductiveaccess.org. Our current offerings are listed below.

• Medication Abortion in Early Pregnancy workshop trains clinicians to counsel on and provide medication abortion care and introduces key strategies for incorporating it into their practice.
• Office Evaluation and Management of Early Pregnancy Loss workshop trains clinicians to counsel on and provide comprehensive early pregnancy loss, or miscarriage, care.

Telehealth for Reproductive Health Care workshop explores strategies to provide reproductive health care, including abortion, contraception, early pregnancy loss, and prenatal care through telehealth platforms.

• Introduction to Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARC) trains clinicians on counseling and providing patients with LARC care. Participants will be able to explain history taking and patient-centered counseling for LARCs, examine the history of reproductive coercion and how it relates to LARC care today, and describe techniques for insertion and removal of all LARC options.
• Gender-Affirming Reproductive Health Care in Primary Care supports clinicians in providing gender-affirming reproductive health care in a primary care setting. It was born out of the need to support clinician education on the reproductive health needs of gender-diverse communities. Through this workshop, participants will learn to describe the different clinical and non-clinical aspects of gender-affirming reproductive health care within primary care (with special attention to creating supportive/inclusive spaces), explain how to take a patient-centered sexual history, and describe components of counseling and care provision relating to contraception, abortion, prenatal, and fertility-specific care of transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse people.

You can view all of our workshops on our CE webpage. If you are interested in hosting a workshop, or have any questions, please reach out to network@reproductiveaccess.org. If you’d like to suggest or help us develop new CE workshops then please reach out to Silpa Srinivasulu at silpa@reproductiveaccess.org.