'Future Docs for Abortion Access': lessons learnt from 1 year of medical student advocacy in the USA.

Abstract

Abortion's place in US medical education has long been tenuous. Most medical students have historically lacked adequate abortion instruction, which stands to worsen following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health decision. Trainee-led advocacy through organisations like Medical Students for Choice (MSFC) has enhanced this instruction nationally and globally. While MSFC offers robust resources to supplement institutional curricula, ample opportunities for student advocates to design interventions meeting the unique needs of their local communities exist. Immediately post-Dobbs, all New York City (NYC)-area MSFC chapters formed a novel advocacy coalition, MSFC NYC, to address the evolving reproductive health education and access needs within NYC and across the USA. Our coalition established three key priorities: (1) Enhance and standardise abortion education for all NYC medical students, (2) Strengthen abortion's legal protections in New York (NY) State and (3) Support patients in abortion-restricted states. In turn, our first year prioritised three key initiatives: (1) Authoring and distributing the 'Accessing Abortion in NYC' peer educational resource guide, (2) Supporting a grass-roots political campaign to expand abortion training and access in NY and (3) Launching the now-annual 'Future Docs for Abortion Access' fundraiser. Our multi-institutional coalition united medical students and physician mentors with community-based reproductive health organisations, aligning our advocacy work with our local communities' needs while creating an enduring advocacy presence within our city and state. By replicating this coalition-building model, fellow trainees can not only expand abortion access and education in different geographies, but further student-led efforts to promote various social justice causes.