In the 1990s, I ran an abortion clinic near Seattle, Washington. A most rewarding career - in all my years as a physician, I've never had so many patients thank me for helping them. But at the same time, I worried that I belonged to an endangered species.
Like the spotted owl, our habitats were being invaded and destroyed - not by loggers but by anti-choice protestors. These were the years of virulent anti-abortion activity, when my colleagues faced arson and acid attacks all too often. One doctor told me about a day when he performed an abortion as members of Operation Rescue battered down the clinic doors with a telephone pole. When he finished the procedure, his terrified patient got up, hugged him so tight he could barely move, and said, "You can't leave us now."
Those of us providing abortions in the 1990s were determined to stay with our patients. But like an endangered species, we were restricted to such a small habitat that we could not expand our numbers. Medical schools and residencies often failed to teach physicians-in-training about abortion or made it near impossible for residents to train at an outside clinic. Meanwhile, the provider population was getting older. Many doctors continued working past retirement age so their patients wouldn't have to travel hundreds of miles to get an abortion.
The threats abortion providers faced in the 1990s did have one benefit: they rallied the provider community to preserve this endangered - but highly valued - species of physicians. We formed new organizations, like Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health and Medical Students for Choice, that were dedicated to training the next generation of providers and reducing the stigma around abortion. In 1996, March 10 was declared a National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers. We're still waiting for Hallmark to make us a special line of greeting cards, but the very existence of a day honoring abortion providers is a step in the right direction.
The threats to abortion providers have changed since the 1990s. Violent attacks, thankfully, have diminished. Our pro-choice president is quietly reversing some of the most egregious policies of the Bush administration, including a midnight regulation allowing a broad range of medical workers to refuse to provide reproductive healthcare.
But abortion providers aren't off the endangered species list yet. Even as federal policies improve, many states are doing their best to limit abortion. The latest anti-choice gambit requires doctors to provide an ultrasound - and often play a fetal heartbeat - for any woman who wants an abortion. As if she hasn't already thought hard enough about her decision! I treated thousands of women at my clinic, and not a single one took her choice lightly.
While we try to fend off state legislatures, we also watch out for the Supreme Court, which is just one vote away from overturning Roe v. Wade. The most conservative justices are likely to remain on the Court for decades. And too few medical schools and residency programs offer training in abortion, especially for specialties like family medicine. Even doctors who identify as pro-choice aren't always willing to offer abortion services.
Want to help save the endangered abortion provider? Here are three things you can do today. If you know a doctor who provides abortions, thank them for what they do. Call or write to your elected officials and ask them to consult with an abortion provider before voting on any abortion-related legislation. Too often, bills are passed without input from the very people they affect most. Finally, if you've had an abortion, tell someone about it. One in three women will have an abortion by age 45, yet it remains a taboo topic. The more we can talk openly and honestly about women's abortion experiences, the more we can reduce the stigma around this procedure.
