Teen Reproductive Health
As physicians, we believe that all people--regardless of their age--should have the knowledge, equal access to quality services, and freedom to make their own reproductive health care decisions.
“We must do more to keep teens healthy.
And that begins with better instruction for those who care for adolescents and improving teens' access to comprehensive reproductive health care.”
Michelle Staples-Horne, MD, MPH
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Leadership Training Academy Fellows Speak Out
May has been a busy month for our Leadership Training Academy Fellows and alumni—our physician-advocates have appeared in over a dozen media outlets, speaking out on a diverse array of reproductive health topics.
On May 1, Fellows Dr. Erika Levi and Dr. Joshua Nitsche testified in North Carolina in opposition to House Bill 716, a “prenatal nondiscrimination” bill that would punish physicians and undermine the trust between women and their doctors. “A passing comment like, ‘I always wanted a girl,’ could force me to refuse to perform the procedure,” Dr. Nitsche noted.
Program alumna Dr. Tracey Wilkinson was interviewed by Free Speech Radio News about point-of-sale restrictions on Plan B emergency contraception. Later that week, Dr. Wilkinson decried the Obama administration’s decision to appeal a federal judge’s ruling to lift these restrictions in a letter to the Los Angeles Times, noting: “Medical opinion is solidly united that this medication is safe for women of all ages, and research shows women know when and how to take it. There is simply no scientific reason to fight Plan B going over-the-counter for all women, and the new age limit will create restrictions for all women in need of Plan B.” Following that letter, Dr. Wilkinson spoke to a Los Angeles Times columnist about the importance of access to Plan B.
For Mother’s Day, Fellow Dr. Rebecca Trotzky-Sirr and program alumna and former board member Dr. Pratima Gupta contributed essays to the Strong Families Mama’s Day Our Way celebration, which highlighted the diversity of parenting and the aspects of being a “mama” that are often overlooked and under-celebrated. Dr. Trotzky-Sirr’s piece about the stigma faced by teen parents, “For the Mamas Who Don’t Get Love on Mother’s Day,” appeared on Feministing: “[W]hen a pregnant teenager enters my office and declares she is ready to be a mother, I believe her. I support her. I know she has the inherent capacity to succeed, because I was once just like her.” Dr. Pratima Gupta wrote a piece for Raw Story about her experience as a mother, an abortion provider, and as a woman who has had an abortion: “Choosing adoption, ending a pregnancy, or raising a child is a personal, often complicated and emotional decision. But one thing is pretty simple: that decision is better left to a woman and her family. I know this firsthand.”
Dr. Joshua Nitsche published a letter in the News-Observer (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC) about House Bill 693, a parental notification bill that would prevent teens from receiving confidential medical services such as contraception care or mental health counseling: “Consider my teen patient whose parents threw her out of their house when they learned she was pregnant, or the young woman who became pregnant after an assault by a family member….requiring their parents’ consent would have been unreasonable, likely dangerous, and would have delayed, if not prevented, my patients’ receiving desperately needed prenatal care.”
Reuters Health interviewed Fellow Dr. Kate Shaw about a study that examined methods of shortening second-trimester abortion procedures. Read More
Celebrating Mother’s Day from Multiple Perspectives
As part of Strong Families’ “Mama’s Day Our Way” celebration, our physicians contributed essays on the topics of motherhood, teen parenting, abortion, and reproductive justice.
Leadership Training Academy Fellow Dr. Rebecca Trotzky-Sirr published a piece on Feministing called “For the Mamas Who Don’t Get Love on Mother’s Day,” about her experiences as a teen mom, and how they differ and align with other teen parents’ experiences:
Medicine and mothering intertwine in my life. My kid entered kindergarten the same week I started medical school. As a mom and a doctor, I am thrilled that I am able to work toward a world where all women and kids are supported and celebrated. Motherhood should be a fair choice, not a forced choice.
Read the rest of Dr. Trozky-Sirr’s essay here.
Our former board member and Leadership Training Academy alumna Dr. Pratima Gupta published a piece on Raw Story about being a mother, an abortion provider, and a woman who has had an abortion:
As an abortion provider, I know abortion rhetoric too often ignores the complexities of real women’s lives. Choosing adoption, ending a pregnancy, or raising a child is a personal, often complicated and emotional decision. But one thing is pretty simple: that decision is better left to a woman and her family. I know this firsthand.