MSFC Update - February 2005

Future Abortion Providers Visible and Strong: Marching to Make a Difference
By Rob Roose

“You’re not doing them in here, are you?” The words gurgled nervously from the delivery man’s throat as he stood square in the doorway, holding packages of MSFC posters. My studio apartment is no larger than a city motel room, just wide enough for a double bed, table and television stand. A stethoscope and crumpled set of scrubs were strewn on the wooden, circular table in the middle of the room. At his feet was a red-and-white mat emblazoned with a large cross, welcoming him. As he set the packages down, he motioned toward the capital letters printed on the outside — WE ARE TOMORROW’S ABORTION PROVIDERS — and slowly smiled. “No,” I said, “That’s exactly what we are trying to prevent.”

One can only wonder what he was thinking as he pulled into the alley of my apartment building that morning. But whether he knew it or not, the message he brought was clear. Thirty-two years after the legalization of abortion in the United States, the threat of returning to the days of unsafe, illegal abortion is very real. There exists a razor-thin margin on the Supreme Court and there are more restrictions on abortion rights now than at any other time since 1973. As we turn the corner on another year, much of the future is uncertain, and in his question was the quiver of the unknown.

Yet, in his hands, he held a strong and hopeful answer. Even with the many other challenges, the single greatest barrier to abortion care in the United States and Canada today is the lack of physicians trained to perform them. As medical students and residents, we hold the solution. We are tomorrow’s abortion providers, and we represent a uniquely vital voice for women’s health care. And this year, as we speak out as health professionals and pro-choice leaders, our collective voices are stronger than ever.

On April 25, 2004, more than one million women and men marched together in an unforgettable display of pro-choice activism: The March for Women’s Lives. In a powerful display of unity, more than 1,200 organizations, including MSFC, convened in Washington D.C. to celebrate the lives of women and protest restrictions on the reproductive choices and health of women worldwide. It is clear that access to comprehensive reproductive health care has a dramatically positive impact on the health of women, and it is important, as future physicians who are knowledgeable and supportive of comprehensive reproductive health care and education, to stand together and demand that all women have access to family planning care, including contraception and abortion services.

Accordingly, in addition to signing on as an official cosponsor of The March, Medical Students for Choice formed a coalition of marchers and took to the streets. Donning scrubs, white coats and signs proudly exclaiming WE ARE TOMORROW’S ABORTION PROVIDERS, over 400 medical students and residents from across the United States joined together in their commitment to reproductive rights and good medical care. More than forty MSFC hapters were represented from places as far as California, New Mexico, Minnesota, Georgia and New Hampshire. Utilizing the strong grassroots network as the conduit for communication, students at George Washington University were able to coordinate a breakfast before The March to distribute signs, review media messages, and gather together in solidarity. And after months of communication with the main organizers, Angel Foster, Past- President of MSFC, was invited as an Honored Guest to lead the marchers and I, as President, was scheduled to speak on the afternoon stage.

With hundreds of energetic students forming a visual display of white coats on- and off-stage, Medical Students for Choice received an abundance of attention, appeared in numerous media in print and photo including the Washington Post, Democracy Now, and Air America, and was named Best Contingent by DC Indymedia. Countless women and men openly expressed their thanks for our courage, including a physician assistant student and former abortion counselor from Maine who recalled how heartbreaking it was when they would not be able to fit a patient into their schedules because of the lack of providers. “The providers that we had traveled up to three hours to our clinic and many patients would drive up to six hours. I was able to meet up with my former co-workers at The March and they were thrilled to see you all standing up as future providers wearing your white coats in the face of possible danger. At one point we passed a group of anti-choice people and saw a med student right in the middle with a white coat on cheering for choice. It was extremely encouraging and I am so happy to have people like you to work with in the future! Thank you!” And as the pictures illustrate, and one student from Arizona underscored, “being part of an intentionally visible group of future physicians who support women’s reproductive rights added a level of pride and commitment to an already awe-inspiring event, the effect of which will be life-long.”

It is clear that days like these are the ones we will never forget and these stories will last a lifetime — but we must also be sure to never forget the impetus behind them. The threats to reproductive choice in the United States are mounting. There is critical shortage of abortion providers; health care options for women and their physicians are restricted by legislation not rooted in science; reproductive health information is being erased from government materials; sex education programs are overtly incomprehensive. There has never been a greater need for health professionals to assume leadership within the greater pro-choice and public policy communities, and The March for Women’s Lives demonstrated that Medical Students for Choice is a respected, unique, and powerful voice for women’s health care. As professionals and leaders, we have an obligation to continue to speak out – with our patients, on news pages, in classrooms, and legislative hearings. Whether it is marching on Washington, speaking to our representatives, educating our colleagues, or counseling our patients, it is strikingly clear that events do change lives. And we must continue to fight for women’s lives.

Rob Roose, MSFC President for 2004-2005, is an MS IV at George Washington University School of Medicine.