YOUTH NOW

The Future Abortionists of America

Abortions are simple procedures, yet fewer than 0.2% of U.S. doctors perform them. Meet the new guard trying to improve access for all.

Malcolm Harris
GEN
Published in
18 min readSep 4, 2018

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Art: Claire Merchlinsky

A sign in the lobby of the Philadelphia hotel read:

THERE ARE NO EVENTS SCHEDULED FOR TODAY
Please enjoy your day!

Meanwhile, in the ballroom upstairs, a significant portion of America’s current and future abortion providers were eating breakfast. The fake-out sign was one of multiple security measures, but the atmosphere at the Medical Students for Choice (MSFC) national conference still hummed with energy. Over the course of a day and a half, 450-plus medical students tried to absorb as much information as possible about providing abortions, information that—depending on where they go to school—can be extremely difficult to get. The vast majority of attendees were women in their early twenties. When the organization’s executive director Lois Backus announced that one of the two men’s rooms would defect for the weekend, an involuntary cheer passed through the audience, followed by laughter.

There are approximately 1,700 abortionists working in the United States—about the same number as active NFL players, and a small fraction compared to the…

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Malcolm Harris
GEN
Writer for

Author of “Kids These Days: Human Capital and the Making of Millennials” malcolmpharris@gmail ☭