��ѿappAbortion Care & Reproductive Justice Institutes – Summer 2026

Four In-person Learning Opportunities the Summer in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, NC!

Summer 2026 – Applications Open Now – Seats Limited!

Four Date Options in Summer 2026:
May 14 – 17 (Summer A)
June 11 – 14 (Summer B)
July 30 – August 2 (Summer C)
August 20 – 23 (Summer D)

No cost for selected applicants – Scholarships cover ALL expenses
Apply Today!

If YOU are a medical student based in the U.S., an ��ѿappmember* and YOU, like AMSA, believe:

• reproductive health services, including abortion care, are essential to comprehensive health care,
• legal, safe, voluntary abortions should be available to all who need them, regardless of how much they earn, who they work for, or what state they live in, and
• both Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) and Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs should offer abortion education and training.

If YOU uphold the fundamental principles of reproductive justice:**

• the right to have children,
• the right to not have children, and
• the right to nurture the children we have in a safe and healthy environment.

If YOU are interested in becoming part of a diverse physician workforce that includes highly skilled, culturally sensitive physicians prepared to provide abortion services to those who need them in various health care workplaces.

And, YOU are available ANY of these four date options:

• May 14 – 17 (Summer A)
• June 11 – 14 (Summer B)
• July 30 – August 2 (Summer C)
• August 20 – 23 (Summer D)

READ ON!

The ��ѿappAbortion Care & Reproductive Health Project is excited to host 4 in-person Abortion Care & Reproductive Justice Institutes this summer.
Each Institute will engage 10 U.S. based medical students in thought-provoking, dynamic conversations, as well as issue education, and hands-on clinical skill-building, with key experts working in abortion care, reproductive health and education, research, or reproductive and social justice.

Our retreat-like setting is a beautiful private location nestled deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Institutes are designed to provide deep dive opportunities to build knowledge, skills, and connections in a supportive, nurturing and Love-centered community, with a focus on finding and connecting with joy as we work on challenging issues facing our communities and future practice as physicians.

Clinical skill-building sessions will include a MVA “papaya” workshop and values-clarification training.

We will explore the impact of the Dobbs decision on reproductive health access, practice and policies at the state level, as well as medication abortion and self-managed abortion. Learning opportunities will also include:

• effective messaging communications
• networking and advocacy training
• building power and your circles of influence
• identifying and engaging reproductive freedom champions in your state
• values-based research and using data to make change.

The ��ѿappReproductive Health Project provides resources and on-going support to organize local education and skill-building sessions for future physicians around the United States.
Institute participants will be encouraged and supported to share the knowledge and skills they will gain through research project posters, journal articles, blog posts, social media, or organizing local events during the 2025-2026 academic year. Local events could include, but are not limited to: clinical skills-building, networking and advocacy training, issue education, understanding state reproductive health policies, and values-based messaging and research.

The program begins on Thursday evening with a group dinner and ends after breakfast on Sunday morning. In addition to didactic and clinical workshop-style learning, there will be ample time for informal conversations, delicious meals and snacks, walking in the woods, star-gazing, and relaxing in the hot-tubs and around the fire. Each participant will have their own bedroom, some bathrooms will be shared. Meals will be prepared together.

• Want to know more about what an ��ѿappRepro Institute is really like?
  Read what a M4 student who joined us last summer had to say about the experience
  Recharging Your Medical Passion: The Power of a Retreat
  Why Every Medical Student Should Do a Medical Retreat (for any specialty)

Successful applicants will receive reimbursements (up to $600) to cover their travel expenses (students make their own travel arrangements). All meals, on-site training supplies, and transportation from the to the retreat location are provided at no cost.

DEADLINES:

• Application deadline for ALL 2026 Institutes is Sunday, March 29 at 11:59pmPT
• Applicants are accepted on a rolling basis and will be notified of acceptance at least 30 days before the Institute they are selected for
• Selected applicant must confirm attendance within 7 days of notification of their selection

Upon completion of the Institute, certificates of participation to add to your CV will be provided.

Applications Open Now – Seats Limited
Apply Today!

###

For more information email rhp@amsa.org

*��ѿappmembership info link
**Source –

The post 4 Amazing Summer 2026 Adventures in Learning with the ��ѿappReproductive Health Project – Apply Today appeared first on AMSA.

SPOTLIGHT ON HEALTH & REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE��

Reproductive Justice & 15 Years of The Affordable Care Act

Written by Becky Martin, ��ѿappSenior Manager of Reproductive Health Advocacy

Sunday, March 23rd, marked 15 years since President Obama signed into law The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare as many call it. Since its hard-won passage have signed up for coverage through ACA marketplaces – that means now get their health care coverage via the ACA. An have gained coverage through ACA supported Medicaid Expansion in 41 states and DC.��

�ճ󲹳�’s who now have affordable health care coverage here in the United States — thanks to those who knew our nation could do better and
raised their voices for change, and didn’t take no as the answer.��

We still have a way to go to achieve AMSA’s long-time goal of high-quality, affordable, accessible, sustainable, and equitable healthcare for all in our nation, and join the rest of the countries in the industrialized world in providing universal health care ensuring the human right to health care (Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Article 25).

At ��ѿappwe believe reproductive rights are human rights. With our Reproductive Health Project we explore the connections between reproductive justice and health justice, and work to help students�� lift their voices for reproductive freedom and health care for all. ��We invite you to explore and share the resources below, to celebrate the gains we’ve made, and know that even in the face of the turmoil rising in our country today AMSA’s vision of HEALTH CARE FOR ALL is absolutely achievable & YOU can find YOUR people in AMSA!

– CBPP��

�� – KFF

Medicaid & ACA Medicaid Expansion in YOUR State & Congressional District��

– HealthCare.gov

: Importance & Impact – NWLC

: A Critical Policy That Must Be Protected – Guttmacher Institute

– KFF

Preventive Care Coverage for:

No gender-based premiums:
– KFF

Insurers Cannot Limit Coverage Amounts
– KFF

The post Reproductive Justice & 15 Years of The Affordable Care Act appeared first on AMSA.

SPOTLIGHT ON ABORTION CARE & REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE��

Walking in the Footsteps of Courage��

Written by Joy Udoh, ��ѿappReproductive Health Project Fellow

There are many exciting things about the field of OB/GYN that I am looking forward to as July approaches: the joy of supporting a patient through all nine months of gestation, providing counseling on contraceptive care, and helping a young patient understand the changes that her body is undergoing. But, there are also things that concern me. A friend of mine recently reached out to find out how I had been. They wanted to know if match day had happened already but also how I was feeling about the future of my role in OB/GYN under the present social and political landscape.��

The question perfectly encapsulated the mixed emotions that I have felt in the past months. In many ways, I feel eager to move on to the next milestone in my medical career but, this feeling is stymied by apprehension about the state of reproductive healthcare.��

What does it mean that hospitals are walking back their efforts to promote
diversity, equity, and inclusion?��

Will I have to step aside as ICE officials raid a labor and delivery unit?��

Can a state I don’t practice in file a lawsuit against me for
providing abortion care to a patient that requests it?��

I used to think that I would be able to look to medical institutions who have built the foundation of my training on the oath to Do No Harm for direction during times like these. This has proven to be wrong as I watch the medical institution inch closer and closer to crossing the line of harm in some cases and outrightly leaping over it in others either through complacency, inaction, turning a blind eye or demurring to authoritarian demands.

As Abortion Provider Appreciation Day approached this year, I kept feeling frustrated because in an ideal world, it shouldn’t be courageous to do the right thing: to provide abortion care as part of the spectrum of support that I am able to give to my future patients. But that world doesn’t yet exist. However, there are individuals and coalitions that not only understand the impetus to Do No Harm but also act in accordance with their beliefs. They understand that the ever changing chimera of legality is often a tool of racism, sexism and eugenics. I have long since turned my gaze from the institution to these groups of people who embody the values that I set out to uphold as a young physician.����

I recently watched , a documentary about an underground group of women that provided thousands of safe abortions in Chicago during the 1970s and something that one of the former Jane members said has remained with me:��

“We did this not just because of the need, but a philosophical obligation to
disrespect a law that disrespected women.”��

Sometimes, courage looks like a group of individuals answering a philosophical obligation and staring defiantly in the face of injustice masquerading itself as a respect for life.��

In reflecting on my friend’s questions, one of the enduring emotions during my turmoil has been hope.��

I draw my courage from the people who have come before me and faced the same things
and insisted on justice nonetheless.��

I have the path that they have paved and I will use it as my guide.

###

Explore the ��ѿappReproductive Health Project
Find news, tips, tools, opportunities�� & more!

for ��ѿappRepro Project Updates

The post Walking in the Footsteps of Courage�� appeared first on AMSA.

SPOTLIGHT ON ABORTION CARE & REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE��

Justice is a Journey; Hope is Each Step We Take in Spite of it All

Written by Jeff Koetje, MD, ��ѿappReproductive Health Programming Strategist

“Jeff, that’s white supremacy thinking; justice is never just one-and-done. It’s always on-going and always returning.
Justice is a journey, not a destination.”

That was exactly the truth I didn’t know I needed to hear in the first full week of 2025.

Last week, my first week back to work after a two week end-of-year break, I was in a conversation with , whom I first met a few years ago when she was the Director of Spiritual Care and Activism for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (now the ). Dr. Cari has spoken several times in various programs of the ��ѿappReproductive Health Project, and even co-facilitated a recent in-person retreat for ��ѿappstaff and national student leaders. Since coming to know ��ѿappthrough these engagements, she is a passionate supporter and advocate for the work we do as a student-led organization taking action at the intersection of medical education, health justice, and youth-led movement-building for social transformation.

Dr. Cari and I were talking about how we are approaching 2025, and our feelings about what this year will likely bring under the second Trump administration. I said something to the effect that I can’t believe that here we are again, facing renewed threats to and likely regression of human rights and civil liberties under the incoming administration that has pretty clearly demonstrated its intent to undo as much as possible the social progress gained over the past 75+ years in the post-World War period. And then I said, with an exasperated tone, “Didn’t we already fight this fight?!”

And that’s when she laid down the truth, in loving correction,
“Jeff, that’s white supremacy thinking; justice is never just one-and-done.
It’s always on-going and always returning. Justice is a journey, not a destination.”

As soon as her words reached my ears, they went straight to my heart, and I recognized – in that deep, embodied way – that what she was speaking was the kind of truth that has sacred significance, like spoken scripture. (By the way, this is why I seek to surround myself with deeply spiritual and spiritually “tuned-in” people – as much as I seek to surround myself with deep thinkers and deep feelers!)

And of course, she’s correct, both from a historical perspective as well as from a philosophical one. From the historical perspective, we can easily see the long and unbroken chain that connects today’s freedom fighters to the good ancestors of past resistance, freedom, and liberation movements. As my Repro Project colleague, Becky Martin, frequently says,

“We [who are working to advance freedom and justice today] stand on the shoulders of giants
[those who have worked to advance freedom and justice through every period of human existence].

How reassuring – and how relieving – to know that no effort toward freedom, justice, or liberation starts or ends with me, me alone. Or, with you, you alone. The generous invitation of the human-history-long work of freedom fighting and justice making, is, quite literally, jump in wherever you are, in whatever time period of human experience you find yourself, because there’s always something to be reimagined, remade, or transformed; there’s always something you can do to make a meaningful contribution to the work of transforming the material conditions of human societies to be more just, more fair, more loving so that everyone has what they need to thrive and flourish in their lives. Martin Luther King Jr. talked about manifesting Beloved Community. He was assassinated, for daring to call the nation to a higher conscience, but the interrelated movements for racial justice and economic justice obviously did not end with his death.

But here’s the thing, and here’s the temptation, and here’s the error in my thinking that Dr. Cari gently pointed out to me: movements for justice and collective liberation are never just linear, in the way that a superficial view of history might lead one to believe (“Didn’t we already fight this fight?!”). Movements for justice and collective liberation are always moving in much more complex, non-linear ways. In fact, perhaps a more accurate – or at least, better – way to represent the “progression” of movements for justice and collective liberation is a three-dimensional spiral. What’s interesting about spirals – and a useful analogy for our purposes here – is that they create a trajectory of “non-returning returns”: as you follow the path of a spiral, you will come back around, but you will not come back around to the exact point that you had started from, hence, “non-returning returns”. Another way to understand this is to consider the aphorism:

History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme.

Philosophically considering the progression of movements for justice and collective liberation more as a 3-D spiral, always turning even as it always steps forward, we can better hold the hard truth that advances in justice and collective liberation are never one-and-done. There is always more that we need to return to, to take back up, to pick up where others left off, to reassess and reconsider our understanding of human dignity, human rights, and human liberty. And yes, sometimes (many times) in the path of progression of the ever-expanding spiral of the movement for justice and collective liberation, we encounter losses, and setbacks, and regressions, and fights that we have fought already, but now must fight again.

And so, here we are, just a few days from Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which, this year, also happens to coincide with the second inauguration of Donald Trump and the formation of an overtly and aggressively authoritarian administration. But none of this is new: authoritarian and despotic regimes have risen and fallen throughout human history. The good news is that nothing – and I mean nothing – of human invention has yet to outlive the ever-enduring spark in the human spirit – our universal and inalienable dignity – that compels us to keep striving toward justice and collective liberation, toward Beloved Community, in the way that Rev. Dr. King described. Justice is indeed a journey of unending, non-returning returns, and in the company of the good ancestors who kept taking steps, no matter what and in spite of it all, we must do the same. Because, Beloved Community isn’t the destination, it’s what we become, on the journey, if we’re willing to keep at it.

###

*Note: an excerpt of this Spotlight is included in ��ѿappReproductive Health Project eNews #36:
��Jan. 18, 2025
Find the current and past issues in the ��ѿappRepro eNews Archive.

Explore the ��ѿappReproductive Health Project
Find news, tips, tools, opportunities�� & more!

for ��ѿappRepro Project Updates

The post Justice is a Journey; Hope is Each Step We Take in Spite of it All appeared first on AMSA.

The ��ѿappAbortion Care & Reproductive Justice Institutes are back live & in-person
this summer in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, NC!

Summer 2025 – Applications Open Now – Seats��Limited!

Four Date Options in Summer 2025:
May 29 – June 1 (Summer A)
June 19 – 22 (Summer B)
July 24 – 27 (Summer C)
August 14 – 17 (Summer D)

No cost for selected applicants – Scholarships cover ALL expenses
Apply Today!

If YOU are a medical student based in the U.S., an ��ѿappmember* and YOU, like AMSA, believe:

• reproductive health services, including abortion care, are essential to comprehensive health care,
• legal, safe, voluntary abortions should be available to all who need them, regardless of how much they earn, who they work for, or what state they live in, and
• both Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) and Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs should offer abortion education and training.

If YOU uphold the fundamental principles of reproductive justice:**

• the right to have children,
• the right to not have children, and
• the right to nurture the children we have in a safe and healthy environment.

If YOU are interested in becoming part of a diverse physician workforce that includes highly skilled, culturally sensitive physicians prepared to provide abortion services to those who need them in various health care workplaces.

And, YOU are available ANY of these four date options:

• May 29 – June 1 (Summer A)
• June 19 – 22 (Summer B)
• July 24 – 27 (Summer C)
• August 14 – 17 (Summer D)

READ ON!

The ��ѿappAbortion Care & Reproductive Health Project is excited to host 4 in-person Abortion Care & Reproductive Justice Institutes this summer.
Each Institute will engage 10 U.S. based medical students in thought-provoking, dynamic conversations, as well as issue education, and hands-on clinical skill-building, with key experts working in abortion care, reproductive health and education, research, or reproductive and social justice.

Our retreat-like setting is a beautiful private location nestled deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Institutes are designed to provide deep dive opportunities to build knowledge, skills, and connections in a supportive, nurturing and Love-centered community, with a focus on finding and connecting with joy as we work on challenging issues facing our communities and future practice as physicians.

Clinical skill-building sessions will include a MVA “papaya” workshop and values-clarification training.

We will explore the impact of the Dobbs decision on reproductive health access, practice and policies at the state level, as well as medication abortion and self-managed abortion. Learning opportunities will also include:

• effective messaging communications
• networking and advocacy training
• building power and your circles of influence
• identifying and engaging reproductive freedom champions in your state
• values-based research and using data to make change.

The ��ѿappReproductive Health Project provides resources and on-going support to organize local education and skill-building sessions for future physicians around the United States.
Institute participants will be encouraged and supported to share the knowledge and skills they will gain through research project posters, journal articles, blog posts, social media, or organizing local events during the 2025-2026 academic year. Local events could include, but are not limited to: clinical skills-building, networking and advocacy training, issue education, understanding state reproductive health policies, and values-based messaging and research.

The program begins on Thursday evening with a group dinner and ends after breakfast on Sunday morning. In addition to didactic and clinical workshop-style learning, there will be ample time for informal conversations, delicious meals and snacks, walking in the woods, star-gazing, and relaxing in the hot-tubs and around the fire. Each participant will have their own bedroom, some bathrooms will be shared. Meals will be prepared together.

• Want to know more about what an ��ѿappRepro Institute is really like?
  Read what a M4 student who joined us last summer had to say about the experience
  Recharging Your Medical Passion: The Power of a Retreat
  Why Every Medical Student Should Do a Medical Retreat (for any specialty)

Successful applicants will receive reimbursements (up to $600) to cover their travel expenses (students make their own travel arrangements). All meals, on-site training supplies, and transportation from the to the retreat location are provided at no cost.

DEADLINES:

• Application deadline for ALL 2025 Institutes is Sunday, April 27 at 11:59pmPT
• Applicants are accepted on a rolling basis and will be notified of acceptance at least 30 days before the Institute they are selected for
• Selected applicant must confirm attendance within 7 days of notification of their selection

Upon completion of the Institute, certificates of participation to add to your CV will be provided.

Applications Open Now – Seats Limited
Apply Today!

###

For more information email rhp@amsa.org

*��ѿappmembership info link
**Source –

The post Summer Special! 4 Amazing Adventures in Learning with the ��ѿappReproductive Health Project – Apply Today appeared first on AMSA.

SPOTLIGHT ON ABORTION CARE & REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE BOOK REVIEW����

What Addicted. Pregnant. Poor. Teaches Us ��ѿapp Reproductive Justice

Written by Araam Abboud, ��ѿappReproductive Health Project Intern

In the United States, substance use among pregnant and parenting individuals often goes unrecognized and untreated due to misconceptions and systemic barriers. Within this landscape—where legal threats, stigma, and disproportionate harm to non-White families persist – Kelly Ray Knight’s Addicted. Pregnant. Poor. (2015) examines pregnant individuals in San Francisco’s Mission District, amplifying their voices and showing how poverty, racism, and punitive policies shape their reproductive lives far more than any single “choice” to use substances. Knight’s work aligns closely with reproductive justice principles, emphasizing the right to have children, not have children, and raising children in safe, supportive environments. Her findings demonstrate that decisions around pregnancy rarely happen in isolation but instead, unfold within systems of inequity. When healthcare providers use stigmatizing terms like “addict” or “substance abuser,” they foster climates of fear and blame. Knight’s account of ‘Tina,’ who avoided telling healthcare providers about her substance use because she feared losing custody of her child, shows how stigma and punitive assumptions can shut down honest communication.

If providers used person-first language (e.g., pregnant person with a substance use disorder) and created a more respectful, understanding environment,
patients like Tina would be more likely to seek help without fearing judgment or reprisal.
This shift in language and attitude can foster trust, ensuring that those needing care feel safe,
rather than threatened, when they reach out for support.

Nearly a decade later, Cecily May Barber and Mishka Terplan (2023) confirm these barriers remain. Despite growing awareness and research, care models for pregnant and parenting individuals who use substances often remain punitive and fragmented. Both Knight and Barber and Terplan emphasize that these patients are not “refusing” care but instead encounter systems that are either inaccessible or dangerous. Everyday challenges, such as finding transportation or childcare, often become insurmountable barriers, leaving patients without reliable treatment pathways. This highlights a need to rethink how care is delivered to meet patients where they are.

Barber and Terplan advocate for harm-reduction approaches that acknowledge patients’ unique circumstances, focusing on incremental progress rather than immediate abstinence. Tools like the 4Ps Plus allow providers to identify substance use risks in a nonjudgmental way, fostering open communication and trust. Knight’s ethnography further emphasizes addressing underlying inequities by integrating stable housing, mental health services, and culturally informed care into healthcare systems. These supports are especially crucial for patients like “Lisa,” who use substances as a coping mechanism for unresolved trauma. Co-locating perinatal and addiction services, offering transportation support, and partnering with community organizations can help break down the barriers that prevent patients from receiving compassionate, effective care. The lessons from Knight’s work and Barber and Terplan’s evidence-based recommendations provide a roadmap for improving reproductive healthcare. Making care more accessible includes replacing stigmatizing terms with respectful language, implementing nonjudgmental screening tools, and addressing practical barriers such as transportation and childcare. By adopting trauma-informed, harm-reduction approaches, providers can create environments where patients feel supported rather than judged.

As healthcare providers, policymakers, advocates, and students, we all have a role to play in building equitable care systems. This work begins by reflecting on our language, questioning policies that punish rather than heal, and advocating for accessible care models that meet the needs of all patients. By applying the insights from Knight’s ethnography and Barber and Terplan’s recommendations, we can move beyond outdated punitive frameworks and build systems that foster dignity, equity, and healing. Together, we can create environments where pregnant and parenting people who use substances feel seen, supported, and valued, ensuring that everyone can thrive.

References:
Barber, C. M., & Terplan, M. (2023). Principles of care for pregnant and parenting people with substance use disorder: The obstetrician gynecologist perspective.
Frontiers in Pediatrics, 11, 1045745.

Warren, N. (2018). Knight, K.R. Addicted. Pregnant. Poor. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. 2015. £21 (pbk) ISBN 978-0822359968 £70 (hbk) ISBN 978-0822359531.
Sociology of Health & Illness, 40(3), 597-598.

*Note: an excerpt of this Spotlight is included in ��ѿappReproductive Health Project eNews #35: 2025 is Here! Find Connections, News & Resources, Jan 4 2025
Find the current and past issues in the ��ѿappRepro eNews Archive.

Explore the ��ѿappReproductive Health Project
Find news, tips, tools, opportunities�� & more!

for ��ѿappRepro Project Updates

The post What Addicted. Pregnant. Poor. Teaches Us ��ѿapp Reproductive Justice appeared first on AMSA.

What’s Next Is What We Make It

��ѿappNational President’s Statement on 2024 Election

Hi future doctor, Annelise here.

I’m writing to you and honestly, I’m not quite sure how to articulate all of my emotions as we face an upcoming four years of uncertainty. When it comes to leadership, especially student-led organizational leadership, we often grapple with how to lead when you’re not quite sure what’s next. For our national leaders, our chapter leaders, and all of us as future and current physicians,�� the question is now— what’s next? Regardless of how you voted during this election, there are still pressing concerns that we, as the future of healthcare, need to reckon with: affordability+accessibility of healthcare, climate sustainability, mental health, gun violence, abortion rights and women’s health… the list goes on.

Over the next four years, in a major way, we will�� inherit the healthcare system that is forged and changed by this election. All of you are going through your training, me included, and developing into the kind of physician you will become and the leader you will be�� in your community. Over the next four years you will, quite literally, learn how to stand between life and death not only in the hospital�� room, but also beyond it. You will take an oath, whether to serve as a student doctor or as a fully-fledged physician, and be charged with doing no harm regardless of your political or personal beliefs. You will be scrutinized, tokenized, and some of you will choose to risk your livelihoods and licenses because of your beliefs and commitment to this profession. To become a physician in this day and age takes a tremendous amount of courage, patience, and grit. It also takes a tremendous amount of privilege and opportunity that we, as future physicians, can use to continue to fight for our patients and our profession. Regardless of who is in the White House, our fight happens day in and day out, patient by patient, family by family. If you’re anything like me, that’s exactly why you chose to dedicate your life to this work.

Medicine is not sexy, it is not easy, but oh is it worth it. We bring a lens to the medical profession�� that our predecessors cannot possibly fathom. So, it is up to us to use our voices to help them, our patients, and our communities understand the dangers we see coming. We have faced crises like this before; standing up for our values unapologetically is something that we at ��ѿappknow a thing or two about. ��ѿappwas forged in the fire of the VietNam War alongside the vision for and the values found within the .��

Today, I hope you’re taking the time to process and be with yourself and your loved ones. I wish I had the answers as to what’s next, but I can promise you that ��ѿappis, and will continue to be, the place you can come home to find your people and your voice. It’s been 75 years of us standing up for each other and our patients, and we’re not about to stop now.��

To those of us who are scared, angry, outraged, saddened, exhausted—we see you, I see you, and we’re here with you. We have put together a whole host of resources to help you navigate through this time (see below) and we are working on ways we can share and be in community together— stay tuned. Know you are not alone! We will regroup and find the strength to carry on towards our founding vision of a high-quality, affordable, and sustainable health care system that puts people (patients and providers) ahead of profits and ensures all have access to the care they need — regardless of how much they earn, who they work for, or what state they live in.��

For those of you looking to do something right now consider:

• Sign & share the to implement the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and join me in calling on the United States government and private sector organizations to promote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights��
• Join one of the ��ѿappAction Committees here��
• Sign up for the ��ѿappReproductive Health Project enewsletter that is filled with useful information and action opportunities .
• Check out from the ��ѿappWellness and Student Life Action Committee

In 1961, President John Kennedy posed to the generation of ��ѿappfounders “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Join us at ��ѿappbecause now it’s our turn.��

Annelise

The post Post Election Statement from ��ѿappPresident, Annelise Silva appeared first on AMSA.

Fall 2024 Opportunities with the ��ѿappReproductive Health Project

This week we turn our SPOTLIGHT on three special opportunities available to ��ѿappmembers this Fall available through the ��ѿappReproductive Health Project.

• ��ѿappReproductive Health Mentorship Sprint – Fall 2024��

��ѿappReproductive Health Mentorship Sprints are designed to pair interested mentors and mentees for a structured 4-week mentorship experience. Eligible applicants (current medical students) are paired by their indication of interest areas and a few other factors. We match you with a mentor/mentee with similar interests and provide resources to guide you through four mentoring sessions, one per week.

Fall 2024 Sprint Timeline

• • Mentor & Mentee Applications Open Now! Deadline Sept 30

Live Orientation Session

• • Monday, October 14 from 8-9:00pmET

Mentorship Sprint Mentor/Mentee Meetings Timeframe

• • October 21 – November 15

Reflections, Feedback, and Happy Hour

• • Friday, November 22 from 6-7:00pmET

Learn More & Apply Here

• ��ѿappElective in Abortion Care, Family Planning & Reproductive Justice – Fall 2024

  (Non-clinical – 1 credit P/F Electives)

Seats are limited in this virtual, credit-bearing elective for US and international medical students (all years), residents, fellows, and graduate public health students who are passionately interested in developing and deepening their knowledge and skills in abortion care, family planning, and reproductive justice.

Fall 2024 Schedule:
Monday, September 23 – Friday, October 4, 2024
All sessions will be held from 1:00pm – 3:00pm ET via Zoom

No in-person components, this elective is conducted fully online, and may be taken for credit, or audited (not for credit).

• ��ѿappReproductive Health Scholars Program – Fall 2024

��ѿappstrives to empower physicians-in-training to effect change through education and advocacy. ��ѿappScholars Programs are designed to provide medical and premed students with information not covered in traditional medical school curriculum and to foster an online learning community of future physicians.

The ��ѿappReproductive Health Scholars Program addresses the “hidden curriculum” in medical school and prepares students to think critically about abortion-related and education and training opportunities.��

Program Schedule: October 7, 2024 – February 24, 2025

Meeting Times: Mondays, Bi-Weekly, 8:00pm – 9:00pm EST

Learn More & Register Today!

###

*Note: an excerpt of this Spotlight is included in ��ѿappReproductive Health Project eNews #27 – Sept 7, 2024
Subject Line: New Mexico State-backed Abortion Clinic, City of Austin Abortion Travel Fund & More!
Find the current and past issues in the ��ѿappRepro eNews Archive.

Explore the ��ѿappReproductive Health Project
Find news, tips, tools, opportunities�� & more!

for ��ѿappRepro Project Updates

The post Fall 2024 Opportunities with the ��ѿappReproductive Health Project appeared first on AMSA.

SPOTLIGHT ON ABORTION CARE & REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE��

Healing with Art & Activism

Written by Becky Martin, ��ѿappSenior Manager of Reproductive Health Advocacy

During our collective COVID shutdown we were reminded of the power of music to nurture and heal by the Dr. Elvis Francois and Dr. William Robinson.

This week, we mark the passing of a clarion voice for justice, a voice that united art and activism. A voice that ignited passion calling “.” A voice that co-founded the , and started — Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon died at the age of 81 on Tuesday morning — may she rest in peace and power.��

Much like , “one of the founders of social medicine” did, after recognizing “poverty caused disease as much as germs” and understanding “both the politician and the physician had a moral obligation to heal society,” by calling mid-19th-century physicians to advocate for public health practices and serve as “attorney for the poor,” recognized

“artists really had a big role to play in challenging our society and culture
to transform itself and to do better.”��

Dr. Reagon talked with Democracy Now over the years about the . She spoke eloquently about the ; and about how, as we saw with the , shared song can nurture and unite people with different life experiences in action.��

She had a deep appreciation of the value of young people in creating a better future in our shared world, along with a special understanding of how we stand on the shoulders of giants who’ve come before. If you are not already familiar with the inspirational words and music of Sweet Honey and the Rock I invite you to explore these historic interviews – Legendary Civil Rights Singers and .

As we face the realities of challenges presented by our current profits before people (patients and providers) healthcare non-system in the United States – including our outrageously high and growing rate of maternal mortality – the need for nurturing, healing and connections across our communities is clear. ��Lifting voices in the call for a high-quality, affordable and sustainable healthcare system that ensures access and reproductive freedom and justice for all is essential – together we can make a difference!����

The words of set beautifully in song by Dr. Reagon in are a keen reminder:��

We who believe in freedom cannot rest
We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes

Until the killing of black men, black mothers’ sons
Is as important as the killing of white men, white mothers’ sons

That which touches me most is that I had a chance to work with people
Passing on to others that which was passed on to me

To me young people come first, they have the courage where we fail
And if I can but shed some light as they carry us through the gale

The older I get the better I know that the secret of my going on
Is when the reins are in the hands of the young, who dare to run against the storm

Not needing to clutch for power, not needing the light just to shine on me
I need to be one in the number as we stand against tyranny

Struggling myself don’t mean a whole lot, I’ve come to realize
That teaching others to stand up and fight is the only way my struggle survives

I’m a woman who speaks in a voice and I must be heard
At times I can be quite difficult, I’ll bow to no man’s word

We who believe in freedom cannot rest
We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes

###

*Note: an excerpt of this Spotlight is included in ��ѿappReproductive Health Project eNews #25: , July 20, 2024
Find the current and past issues in the ��ѿappRepro eNews Archive.

Explore the ��ѿappReproductive Health Project
Find news, tips, tools, opportunities�� & more!

for ��ѿappRepro Project Updates

The post Healing with Art & Activism appeared first on AMSA.

I am thrilled to share the profound experience I had as the honored . Congressman Scott’s invitation speaks volumes about the vital commitment all legislators should uphold: amplifying the voices of healthcare providers, especially amid challenging times where reproductive rights and freedom face threats, ensuring policymaking aligns with evidence-based, patient-centered care principles.

Attending the State of the Union address was an extraordinary experience, filled with inspiration and hope. Being on Capitol Hill among Congresspeople, esteemed guests, and fellow advocates, including abortion rights advocates like Dr. Caitlin Bernard, Dr. Damla Karsan, representatives from Planned Parenthood, and many others, was incredibly empowering. Engaging with leaders such as Whip Katherine Clark and the Pro-Choice Caucus allowed for profound discussions on why abortion access is essential healthcare and why it must be protected. Witnessing the collective dedication to fighting for reproductive rights and abortion access filled my cup of hope and reinforced my resolve to continue advocating for comprehensive reproductive healthcare.

During this significant event, I had the privilege of meeting with Secretary Becerra, we engaged in a thoughtful discussion on the underlying reasons why many aspiring physicians are hesitant to pursue practice in states burdened by abortion restrictions. We explored how these limitations not only discourage healthcare professionals but also perpetuate healthcare disparities, exacerbating the challenges faced by underserved communities.

As a future obstetrician-gynecologist (OBGYN) and abortion care provider, I am committed to ensuring access to comprehensive reproductive care for all individuals. It is why I have made the conscious decision to apply only to residency programs in states without stringent abortion restrictions. These states provide the environment necessary for me to receive the training I need to provide all aspects of comprehensive reproductive care without fear of legal repercussions and without fear of harming my patients.��

Sitting in the gallery, listening to President Biden’s address, I was reminded of the myriad challenges our nation faces, from education to reproductive freedom to global humanitarian crises. As the next generation of physicians, I am proud to stand with the American Medical Student Association in advocating for quality, affordable healthcare for all. Access to comprehensive health services, including reproductive healthcare and safe, voluntary abortions, must be recognized as fundamental human rights.

My in Ms. Magazine, which caught Congressman Scott’s attention, underscores the power of student activism in driving meaningful change. Through strategic collaborations with organizations like the Hub Project’s Free and Just Campaign, ��ѿappempowers students to advocate for healthcare policies that positively impact our future patients and communities.

At AMSA, every student has a seat at the table, an opportunity to engage directly with policymakers, and a platform to make their voices heard. By speaking up and taking action, we can shape the future of healthcare and ensure equitable access to quality healthcare for all.

Check out & share our

Explore the ��ѿappReproductive Health Project
Find news, tips, action tools, skill-building opportunities�� & more!

for ��ѿappRepro Project Updates

Learn about additional ��ѿappadvocacy initiatives and how to get involved: /about/

The post ��ѿappPresident as Guest of Congressman Bobby Scott at State of the Union Address appeared first on AMSA.