Abortion Left off Med School Curriculum

Imagine my surprise when reading the latest issue of Conscience magazine and seeing an interview with the very man who inspired my journey to become an abor­tion provider —John Irving—talking about the exact issues I am facing as my time in medical school winds down (“A Conversa­tion with John Irving” by Jen Girdish, Vol. XXXVI, No. 2). He touches on some very salient points, namely, that the vast majority of medical schools neither teach nor even address abor­tion as part of their normal curriculum.

As someone who has nearly completed three years of medical school, I can say from personal expe­rience that any and all exposure I’ve gotten to abortion training or repro­ductive healthcare has been because I sought it out. It’s disheartening that such a common procedure is treated this way, even in a supposedly unbiased insti­tution of higher learning. I appreciate greatly that this uphill battle I find myself fighting is recognized outside of the medical school bubble that I live in, and I also appreciate that you would give this issue a platform.

RACHEL NEAL
Class of 2017
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas