Media Center: Press Release

National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers Highlights the Need for More Providers and Increased Access to Abortion Training

New York, NY—Abortion is one of the most common surgical procedures in the United States, yet the number of doctors providing abortions has declined since the 1970s. In honor of the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers, Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health released the following statement from board chair Dr. Wendy Chavkin.

“One in three American women will have an abortion by the age of 45, yet it is increasingly difficult to find a doctor who will provide that abortion. An astounding 87% of counties have no abortion provider, and many women must travel hundreds of miles just to get an abortion. Women’s access to abortion is further restricted by the hundreds of laws passed by anti-choice politicians in the past decade. Between laws forcing women to wait and laws forcing physicians to give them misleading information about abortion, it is harder and harder for the 1.3 million women seeking abortions each year to find the help they need.

“At Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, we are particularly concerned about the decline in the number of doctors providing abortions. Despite improvements over the past decade, many residents struggle to get the hands-on training they want—only 5% of abortions are performed in the hospitals where most medical students and residents are trained. Moreover, many physicians are dissuaded from offering abortions by fear of harassment. This is an alarming trend, and one we must reverse. If there are no abortion providers, there will be no choice.

“March 10 is the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers. On this day, we ask everyone to reflect on the critical services offered by these brave physicians. Our physician members who provide abortions tell us that women are always grateful for the care they receive. We get dozens of emails each year from women like Audrey, who said, ‘Thank you for standing up to offer an option to women who would have nowhere else to go.’

“Physicians must provide care in the best interests of their patients, and American women are entitled to receive the full spectrum of comprehensive reproductive health services. To that end, PRCH calls for better integration of abortion and abortion providers into the mainstream healthcare system.”

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