Last night, Physicians for Reproductive Health hosted abortion providers, abortion advocates, and supporters of abortion advocates to celebrate the courageous work of abortion providers across the country at their annual event, Voices of Courage: Care is Not a Crime.
If you missed the event in person or on-line, you can watch the entire evening of celebration on Youtube.
We gathered in New York City with special guests Olivia Julianna and John Oliver, and honored two especially courageous abortion providers.
PRH awarded Dr. DeShawn Taylor with the 2023 Rashbaum Leadership Award. Dr. Taylor has shown a career-long commitment to advancing reproductive rights and justice in Arizona and prioritization of training the next generation of abortion care providers who center the needs and values of their community.
Dr. Bhavik Kumar was awarded the 2023 Tiller Advocacy Award. Dr. Kumar, who is a longtime community member of PRH after completing PRH’s Leadership Training Academy and then serving on PRH’s Board of Directors, has long committed to ensuring that Texans have access to compassionate care. He was honored for his intersectional advocacy work and for his resounding commitment to centering the communities most impacted by oppressive laws and policies in Texas.
PRH Board Chair Dr. Kristyn Brandi and PRH President & CEO Dr. Jamila Perritt each shared more about the future of PRH’s work dedicated to ensuring that no one is criminalized for accessing or providing sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion care and gender-affirming care.
Dr. Perritt reflected: “People deserve care and compassion, not criminalization. We must work to create a future committed to what community safety for every person actually looks like. The safety in togetherness, the safety in advocacy, and the safety in what we all can build when we center our collective energy and goals on the liberation and care of all people.
People deserve care and compassion, not criminalization.
“When we say care is not a crime, we mean that no one should be reported or punished for accessing health care. When we say care is not a crime, we mean no one should fear for arrest or criminalization for self-managing their abortion. When we say care is not a crime, we mean that no health care provider should ever fear losing their license for providing the safe, evidence-based care the patient in front of them wants and needs. When we say care is not a crime, we mean that someone’s health care needs should never be a reason for them to be surveilled, targeted, and fed into the criminal legal system, often resulting in life-long harm and trauma.”
We look forward to celebrating our community of abortion providers and advocates all year long.