2012 Abortion Provider Awards to Family Physicians in New York, Texas: Hope in the War on Women

Two doctors honored for integrating abortion into primary care, making abortion more accessible for more women

New York, NY—Last night, Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health (PRCH) honored two family medicine physicians at its annual Abortion Provider Awards ceremony:

• Linda Prine, MD, of New York received the William K. Rashbaum, MD, Award, for decades of service as a doctor who provides abortions and trains other physicians in abortion,

And

• Margaret Kini, MD, of Texas, received the George Tiller, MD, Award, for showing courage early in her career as an abortion provider.

Journalist Linda Greenhouse—winner of the Pulitzer Prize for her coverage of the Supreme Court—gave the keynote.

New York City Council Member Jessica Lappin issued a proclamation, on display at the event, commending Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health and the abortion providers it represents for their service to the city and the field of reproductive health.

Among her countless contributions to the field of abortion care and her patients' well-being, Linda Prine, MD, is the founder and medical director of the Reproductive Health Access Project, a nonprofit dedicated to integrating reproductive health services into primary care. “Destigmatizing abortion by making it part of mainstream medicine makes it easier on the women and on the physicians,” said Dr. Prine during her acceptance speech. “… [W]hat kind of message do we give to women if we say that we can take care of them if they are continuing their pregnancy but that they have to go somewhere else if they want an abortion? How can we pretend to be pro-choice and not offer them care?”

As she accepted the George Tiller, MD, Abortion Provider Award, Margaret Kini, MD, also spoke about the gulf between family medicine and abortion. “I even had a [family medicine] resident recently ask me, ‘Why do you do abortions?’ To which I replied, ‘For the same reason that I want to be involved in childbirth and end-of-life care. These are the pivotal moments in the health of a woman in which we are privileged to be their doctor.’”

Linda Greenhouse reminded the audience that the Roe v. Wade decision is based on a belief that physicians must and will act in the best interest of their patients and their health. It is this spirit that drives Drs. Prine, Kini, and their colleagues across the country, despite efforts to stop them from meeting women’s need for abortion care.

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