Help Us Protect Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Today!
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…
Sep 16
If you’ve been hearing a lot about ultrasound machines lately, it’s most likely because anti-abortion state legislatures across the country are proposing and passing laws that mandate the provision of ultrasounds on anyone seeking abortion care. These laws regulate who, when and how ultrasounds are performed for abortion care. Many of these laws require clinicians…
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…
Apr 16
I work once a week at a high volume abortion site. When I’m there I often don’t have the chance to have much of an interaction with the patients in the minute or so that I see them before the anesthesia takes effect. But the other day, I had a quick conversation that really stuck…
Apr 02
As part of my work with the Reproductive Health Access Project, I am a doula for women undergoing reproductive health procedures like colposcopies, IUD or implant insertions or manual vacuum aspiration. A doula, in essence, is someone who provides emotional support. At first, I was not sure how I was going to be able to…
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…
Sep 26
Parental consent laws can be a barrier to young women with an unwanted pregnancy. Although most young women choose to tell their parents, in 37 states a minor MUST get parental consent or go to a judge for permission to have an abortion. Getting a judicial bypass takes time but is usually successful. Many states…
Aug 29
Our first summer brown bag lunch was a great success! On Monday, July 16th, the Reproductive Health Access Project invited summer interns from reproductive health and justice organizations around New York City to lunch time talk. The topic? A papaya workshop. Now you might be asking yourself, “Papayas? What’s so special about a papaya?” Well,…
Aug 02
I love this picture. This is Linda Prine’s family: her sister, her parents, her sons, and her son’s girlfriend at the Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health awards ceremony They are so happy, beaming, full of pride, cheering Linda for being a leader and teacher of abortion care. This is no small thing, having your…
Jun 20
Family physicians aim to be “patient-centered.” It’s not always clear, however, what that means. It doesn’t mean that we give antibiotics to anyone with a cold who wants them. It doesn’t mean we prescribe narcotics for anyone who requests them. We practice medicine responsibly while paying attention to our patients’ concerns. Being patient-centered is more…