Media Center: Press Release

New York, NY—After six years of leadership, Wendy Chavkin, MD, MPH, is stepping down as chair of the board of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, a national organization representing pro-choice doctors. Suzanne T. Poppema, MD, will succeed her as board chair effective immediately.

Dr. Chavkin was a founding member of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health. Under her leadership, PRCH helped defeat abortion-related laws in South Dakota, California, and Oregon, created a curriculum in adolescent reproductive health, trained hundreds of pro-choice physicians to be advocates for reproductive health, and collaborated with a host of medical and advocacy organizations on policy and educational initiatives.

“Despite our many victories in the past years, the fight to protect reproductive healthcare in America is far from over,” notes Dr. Chavkin. “Suzanne Poppema’s years of experience as a physician and an advocate will help ensure that the medical perspective is part of any debate over reproductive health.”

“Every year, hundreds of new laws and regulations seek to limit access to reproductive healthcare,” says Dr. Poppema, PRCH’s incoming chair. “Like many members of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, I’ve seen firsthand how important it is for women to control when and whether they have children. I know this is a critical time for physicians to speak up for our patients’ rights, and I am excited to have the opportunity to represent many pro-choice doctors who are members of PRCH.”

Throughout her career as a family physician, Dr. Poppema has defended her patients’ right to reproductive healthcare through legislative testimony, involvement in numerous medical organizations, and interviews with a wide variety of media outlets. Dr. Poppema’s clinical experience includes 15 years as the medical director of an abortion clinic, as well as a decade working in family practice. In 1996, Dr. Poppema chronicled her experiences as an abortion provider in her book, Why I Am an Abortion Doctor (Prometheus Books). Dr. Poppema currently serves as Director of International Medical Consulting and is a retired Associate Clinical Professor in Family Medicine at the University of Washington.