After Dobbs, U.S. medical students head abroad for abortion training no longer provided by their schools

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

53% : Unlike medical schools, OB-GYN residencies are required to provide access to clinical experience in abortion.
53% : She also runs the Ryan Residency Training Program, which supports training for obstetrics and gynecology residents and has so far managed to connect 22 residency programs with ones in states that permit abortion.
51% : And, while both schools and students can of course look for training partnerships in states where abortion is still permitted, many students have been left to figure out their education alone.
50% : It is one of the most common procedures in the U.S., even more common than appendectomies, and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends all medical schools teach abortion, though students can opt out and in-person experience isn't required.
50% : Now, the overwhelming majority of applicants are from the United States, said Pearl Hudson, the BPAS program coordinator, and these students' applications all cite their struggle to learn about abortion in the U.S.Patricia Lohr, medical director of BPAS, was trained in the United States and participated in a MSFC externship in California more than two decades ago.
50% : "It's a good way of teaching students to be non-judgmental and compassionate in the medical environment, in the way they should be for any medical procedure, but is sometimes not done as well for people seeking abortion."
50% :Last month, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), which evaluates and sets standards for medical residency programs, confirmed its long-standing requirement that programs offer in-person abortion training -- whether by providing it themselves or, in states where abortion is prohibited, by making arrangements for residents to visit another state.
49% :So sensitive is the topic that medical school faculty were overwhelmingly hesitant to speak with a reporter about the changes in regulation post-Dobbs.
48% : "Each state that moved to ban abortion created an overwhelming increase of patients in clinics, which means it's really hard to get the clinics to commit to taking the time to training students in the U.S."Since the Dobbs decision, Merritt estimated around 10% to 15% of the roughly 5,000 U.S. students who participate in MSFC have expressed interest in abortion training outside the country.
48% : Tema is one of those planning to leave Ohio for residency: "Because I'm a Black woman, the Venn diagram is almost a circle of where I'd feel more comfortable and can perform abortion," she said.
47% : This means that hospitals that can't fulfill this requirement risk being penalized, or even losing accreditation, and there is a scramble to try and partner with training programs in states where abortion is permitted.
46% : "I'd do my patients a great disservice if I'm not trained in abortion," said Tema, who is planning to become a family planning doctor, and asked that she be identified only by her first name for fear of repercussions by her medical school.
46% : As a wave of extreme restrictions on abortion sweeps the United States, medical schools and residency programs are struggling to ensure future doctors are adequately prepared.
45% : A state law banning abortion after six weeks went into effect hours after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and two days later, the clinic where her school provided first-hand abortion experience shut down.
41% :advertisement"When Texas went dark and was no longer providing abortion, that had ripple effects all up the Midwest," said Pamela Merritt, executive director of MSFC.
40% : Without the opportunity to see abortions first-hand, Tema felt her medical education would fall short and worried she would be a less competitive candidate for residency programs in states that allow abortion.
35% : (She asked not to name the school, as the administration was previously upset with students who asked them to support abortion publicly, and she was worried about being penalized.)

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