Yashica Robinson: championing reproductive health in Alabama

Abstract

To say that Yashica Robinson has had a few obstacles to overcome in her life is something of an understatement. She is the medical director of the Alabama Women's Center for Reproductive Alternatives in Huntsville, AL, USA, the only provider of abortion care in northern Alabama. “I provide abortion care in a state that vehemently opposes its practice because I strongly believe that women should have a right to self-determination and be able to access abortion care as a component of a comprehensive approach to reproductive health”, she says. Her work means that Robinson is targeted by anti-abortion protesters. Robinson also runs the Alabama Women's Wellness Center, a general obstetrics and gynaecology practice, with her colleagues. “People seem to forget that much of my work does not involve abortion. At the Alabama Women's Wellness Center, I provide routine obstetrical and gynaecological care as well as general primary care services. At the Alabama Women's Center for Reproductive Alternatives, I offer a broad range of services for a majority low-income population, including STD testing and treatment, contraceptive counselling, and preventative health exams, in addition to medical and surgical abortion care”, she says.