Despite the fact that abortion is one of the most common and safest surgical procedures,1 abortion training is not a standard component of the core curriculum in most medical schools across the United States. In fact, only 5% of all abortions in the United States are provided in hospitals,2 where most medical students and residents are trained. According to a growing body of information collected by Medical Students for Choice (MSFC):
- 2/3 of the medical students in the United States spend less than 30 minutes of class time on all aspects of abortion;
- only one out of five medical schools includes basic options counseling education in their curriculum; and
- both infertility and Viagra receive more required class time – on average – than contraception or abortion.
Abortion is a common experience for people around the world; yet it is often excluded from the curricula of health professionals. Our aim is to fill in the gaps left by the exclusion of abortion from mainstream curricula.
Most lectures in the abortion course can be viewed with subtitles in Spanish or French. French translation was made possible by the Safe Abortion Action Fund and International Planned Parenthood Federation. Click the Closed Captions button on video lectures to access subtitles.
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