Placing abortion in historical, legal, and clinical context in American medical school classrooms

Abstract

AbstractAbortion is one of the most commonly performed medical procedures in the United States. In 2018, physicians in the United States performed 189 abortions for every 1000 births. Abortion is also common in other countries; across the globe, tens of millions of women seek abortions annually. In the countries that have legalized abortion, ready access to the procedure, along with access to reliable contraception, have improved women's economic status, their health, their longevity, and their ability to care for their children. Yet, despite its prevalence and benefits, abortion has also been a magnet for political controversy in the United States and elsewhere. In the United States, where the controversy has not ebbed for 50 years, abortion laws in some states have become increasingly restrictive, particularly in the last decade. This commentary describes an innovative way to teach medical students about abortion and argues that teaching abortion to medical students in the United States and throughout the world has become more, rather than less, important. This article also argues that, given the importance of access to safe abortions for women's health and well‐being, medical schools are obligated to provide medical students with the comprehensive medical knowledge that will allow them, after becoming physicians, to accurately advise, and sensitively counsel, women seeking abortions. Medical schools are also obligated to arm medical students with the relevant historical and legal knowledge that will allow them to advocate for the comprehensive reproductive services that all women need—services that include safe, legal abortion.