On behalf of the MSFC HQ team, I would like to wish our members, supporters, and alumni a very happy International Women’s Day! The theme of IWD 2023 is #EmbraceEquity, and that is a challenge we are eager to accept.

MSFC recently completed our new strategic plan, and I will be sharing more about it soon. It puts into motion a long-standing priority at MSFC to infuse equity into our programs and tap into the power of our global footprint. MSFC has been supporting medical students in their advocacy, training, and education for 30 years; we know that the path to securing the human right of bodily autonomy is through equitably supporting our chapters as part of the global movement for reproductive health, rights, and justice. Stay tuned for more information on our new strategic plan and how it will guide MSFC’s work!

From the glorious Marea Verde abortion rights victories in South America to hosting papaya workshops in the United States, MSFC student leaders stand in solidarity and are ready to act. We celebrate the abortion rights victory in Benin even as we build strategy to ensure access to safe abortion care is more than a series of words on a page. And as anti-abortion politicians in Mississippi recently revealed in their attempt to prohibit voters from securing abortion rights through a ballot measure, we find comfort in knowing that we are part of the overwhelming majority who support abortion access.

Today and every day, let us celebrate and embrace equity as the means to building a truly inclusive world where we all enjoy the right to bodily autonomy and live in communities free of violence and oppression.

In solidarity,

Pamela Merritt
Executive Director