Established in 1993, Medical Students for Choice is a social-liberal advocacy nonprofit that supports and provides training in performing abortions to medical students and residents around the world. In the United States, the organization also advocates for making abortion training a mandatory part of medical school. ^{1 2 3} The group’s stated mission is to deliver “tomorrow’s abortion providers and pro-choice physicians.” ⁴

Background

Jody Steinauer, Associate Professor of obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) at the University of California, San Francisco, started Medical Students for Choice in 1993. ⁵ Recognized as a tax-exempt organization since 2007, Medical Students for Choice has swiftly expanded its influence within the United States and around the world, establishing itself at medical schools and residency programs in 27 countries. ^{6 7} The organization now has more than 200 campus chapters overall, which represent over 13,000 students. ^{8 9 10}

Activities

Under the guidance of the Medical Students for Choice leadership, chapter members work to formally integrate comprehensive abortion training into the official curriculum of medical schools. ¹¹ For instance, Temple University caved to the demands of its Medical Students For Choice chapter and officially added “family planning” lectures to the curriculum of second-year students. ¹² During 2018, Medical Students for Choice chapters organized about 1,800 events, which included lectures, field trips to abortion clinics, as well as 200 “hands-on” exercises. ¹³ Over one-third of chapters either lobby or plan to lobby school leaders to permanently increase the amount of abortion education in the curriculum. ¹⁴

In the United States, the organization attempts to influence public policy at the state level. ¹⁵ In 2018, Medical Students for Choice filed lawsuits against several states that had adopted measures to strictly limit abortions in their states. ¹⁶

Funding

With annual revenue of $1.8 million in 2018, Medical Students for Choice receives most of its funding from grants and contributions, with the rest coming from program services and investment earnings. ^{17 18} Notable donors include Tides Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Rockefeller Family Fund, and the Libra Foundation. ¹⁹

Leadership

Medical Students for Choice is overseen by a 15-member board of directors that includes physicians, university faculty, and medical students. ^{20 21} Mugdha Mokashi, who studies medicine at Harvard University’s School of Medicine, currently works as president of Medical Student for Choice. Appointed to a two-year term, Mokashi will work as the organization’s president until the end of 2021. ²²

Lois Backus is the executive director of Medical Students for Choice, a position she has held for the past two decades. Prior to joining the group in 2001, Backus spent 12 years working at affiliates of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, holding positions as executive director for both Planned Parenthood of Columbia/Willamette and Planned Parenthood of Central Pennsylvania. ²³

1. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990). 2018.
2. “About Us,” Medical Students for Choice, accessed January 11, 2020, https://msfc.org/about-us/.
3. Wear, Delese, and Cynthia Keck-McNulty. “Medical Students for Choice: Origins, Current Orientations, and Potential Impact.” Teaching and Learning in Medicine 15, no. 1 (2003): 52–58. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15328015TLM1501_10.
4. “About Us,” Medical Students for Choice, accessed January 11, 2020, https://msfc.org/about-us/.
5. Medical Students for Choice. Accessed January 14, 2020. https://msfc.org/.
6. “Where We Are,” Medical Students for Choice, accessed March 26, 2020, https://msfc.org/about-us/where-we-are/.
7. Wear, Delese, and Cynthia Keck-McNulty. “Medical Students for Choice: Origins, Current Orientations, and Potential Impact.” Teaching and Learning in Medicine 15, no. 1 (2003): 52–58. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15328015TLM1501_10.
8. Medical Students for Choice. Accessed January 14, 2020. https://msfc.org/.
9. “Where We Are.” Medical Students for Choice. Accessed January 13, 2020. https://msfc.org/about-us/where-we-are/.
10. “Medical Students.” Medical Students for Choice. Accessed April 3, 2020. https://msfc.org/medical-students/.
11. Annual Report 2018, September 2019. Accessed March 11, 2020. https://msfc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/MSFC-Annual-Report_2019_For-Web.pdf.
12. Annual Report 2018, September 2019. Accessed March 11, 2020. https://msfc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/MSFC-Annual-Report_2019_For-Web.pdf.
13. Annual Report 2018, September 2019. Accessed March 11, 2020. https://msfc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/MSFC-Annual-Report_2019_For-Web.pdf.
14. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990). 2018.
15. Annual Report 2018, September 2019. Accessed March 11, 2020. https://msfc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/MSFC-Annual-Report_2019_For-Web.pdf.
16. Annual Report 2018, September 2019. Accessed March 11, 2020. https://msfc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/MSFC-Annual-Report_2019_For-Web.pdf.
17. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990). 2018.
18. Annual Report 2018, September 2019. Accessed January 10, 2020. https://msfc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/MSFC-Annual-Report_2019_For-Web.pdf.
19. Annual Report 2018, September 2019. Accessed January 10, 2020. https://msfc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/MSFC-Annual-Report_2019_For-Web.pdf.
20. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990). 2018.
21. “Our Structure.” Medical Students for Choice. Accessed April 23, 2020. https://msfc.org/about-us/our-structure/.
22. “Board of Directors.” Medical Students for Choice. Accessed April 23, 2020. https://msfc.org/about-us/our-structure/board-directors-application/.
23. “Lois Backus.” LinkedIn. Accessed April 22, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/lois-backus-636bb99/.