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The University of Washington, School of Medicine (UWSOM) in Seattle recently hosted a completely virtual IUD workshop with 50 students and 10+ physician leaders participating. Our workshop was geared primarily towards MS1 and MS2 pre-clinical students with the goal of increasing their competency and knowledge in the field of reproductive healthcare and justice. We were inspired to host this workshop to increase medical literacy ...
Previous Posts

May 8, 2020
Abortion Access in a Pandemic: Medical Students Step UpAs abortion access around the world is impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, MSFC chapters have risen to the challenge to serve their communities. From providing childcare to healthcare workers, to delivering medications and supplies, to serving as reproductive health educators online and via hotlines, MSFC members are filling the gaps and stepping up during the …

February 7, 2020
What Papayas Can Teach You About Reproductive Health AccessPapayas can be named by color: green papaya, golden papaya, “sunrise papaya”. Sometimes they are named by origin: Hawaiian papaya, Mexican papaya, Brazilian papaya. Sometimes—innocently—they are just named “papaya”, and you have to call the manager over the intercom at H-Mart and interrogate accordingly. My expertise in papayas has been an unexpected side effect of …

November 8, 2019
An Invaluable Partnership: Why You Should Get to Know Your Local Abortion FundAs states hostile to abortion continue to increase regulations and place heavier burdens on patients trying to access abortion care, the services abortion funds provide are becoming even more important. Abortion funds seek to remove barriers to abortion access by providing funding and logistical support to people seeking abortions. Funds give individuals money to pay …

September 10, 2019
Finding My Place in the MovementI saw my first D&C as a pre-med college student, who had been newly introduced to the possibilities of ob/gyn. Despite being pro-choice, this experience deeply affected me and made me question my limits in the abortion debate. It also made me realize that being pro-choice does not necessarily translate into becoming an abortion provider, …

August 12, 2019
10 Reasons Every Medical Student Should Learn about Medication AbortionBy Abby Ramey and Rachel Abbott, MSFC Student Organizers As abortion becomes more restricted in the United States, medication abortion has become critical in the fight for abortion access. Medication abortion, or the “abortion pill”, is a combination of two drugs, Mifepristone and Misoprostol. It is a popular and safe option for many, accounting for …

June 11, 2019
Curriculum Reform at an International University in UgandaReaching Young Doctors from Around the World Through Student Activism Paul Mulyamboga is a 4th year medical student and MSFC chapter leader at St Augustine International University in Kampala, Uganda. The chapter recently advocated for abortion education to be included in the curriculum, changes that were unprecedented at any medical schools in Uganda. After months …

June 3, 2019
Where Abortion is Illegal…Do Providers Matter?By Lois V. Backus, Executive Director of MSFC In the US, recently passed abortion bans in 9 states have finally awakened the national press and the general public to the dire threat facing legal abortion. For those of us who have struggled for decades to provide safe abortions in an increasingly restrictive legal environment, these …

March 21, 2019
Post-Roe Initiative Update: Students in their Own WordsBy Rachel Abbott, Student Organizer The appointment of Judge Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court last fall means that the balance of the court is now prepared to restrict abortion access and potentially overturn Roe v Wade. However, we are ready—MSFC chapters across the US have been fighting to provide abortion access under difficult …

March 13, 2019
Canadian Medical Students Take Abortion Education Into Their Own HandsBy Sara Contreras, MSFC Student Organizer After the 2017 Conference on Family Planning in Philadelphia, I received an email from one of my Canadian students, Stephanie. In the email she said what an amazing time that she had but how she wished there would be a space for the Canadian students to have a conference …