Medical Students for Life will hold our National Meeting at the Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity’s (CBHD) “Health & Human Flouring Conference” at Trinity International University on July 18-20th.

On Thursday July 18th, a free pre-conference on prenatal diagnosis will be available for conference attendees. (Free registration here)

The CBHD conference begins that Thursday evening and runs through Saturday July 20th. (Registration here)

Once you have registered, please contact Med Students for Life so we can send you a special invitation to our National Meeting debrief sessions and special events during the conference.

Plan to attend all three days to hear presentations by experts on issues such as prenatal diagnosis and termination rates, ethical issues in emergency humanitarian aid, regulating RU-486: putting patient health above financial gain, and more.

Discounted lodging will be available at the nearby La Quinta Inn & Suites, Embassy Suites North, or Homewood Suites. More information here.

If you have any questions about our national meeting, please contact Medical Students for Life of America and we will be happy to help.

See you in July!

“I am a pro-life physician, but in rare cases I will refer my patients to a clean and safe abortion clinic.”

This statement brings to light the duplicity that exists in the minds of many physicians. Some physicians, who consider themselves pro-life, make abortion referrals because they feel they do not have a choice due to their employer, they feel they are doing the compassionate thing, or they have made a series of compromises to avoid the hard discussions with their patients.

If you’re a physician finding yourself in this situation, here are some thoughts from your pro-life colleagues on how to explain why you won’t refer for abortion.

“I tell my patient I cannot refer her for an abortion because I am the doctor of two patients, the mother and fetus. If I refer for an abortion, one or both of them will not come back alive and that is not good medicine. “ – Dr. Anita Showalter, OB-GYN

“I do not believe abortion is good medicine and I cannot refer my patients to a good abortion provider because I do not know one.” – Dr. Byron Calhoun, OB-GYN

“In a digital age, women can easily find an abortion clinic online; they do not need me to refer them. My referral would only serve as a stamp of approval for an unnecessary elective procedure.” – Dr. William Toffler, Family Medicine

“We counsel our patients to abstain from smoking and unhealthy foods, yet we shy away from counseling them when it’s about an elective procedure that will end a life. This does not make sense.” – Dr. Angela Lanfranchi, OB-GYN

What is known to be right and healthy cannot be sacrificed on the altar of patient autonomy or what is politically correct. When it’s boiled down to its simplest form, there is no difference between the abortionist and the doctor who refers his or her patient for an abortion; both actions will end a life and damage the doctor-patient relationship.

Medical students and residents need to know about their right of conscience and how to communicate those values to their patients, colleagues, and students. This fall, Medical Students for Life will be focusing much of our effort on educating medical students about abortion referrals and the right of conscience. Pro-life physicians must be pro-life in word and deed.

Former Abortionist Dr. John Bruchalski will be speaking at the University of Washington tonight at 10:30PM EST 7:30PM PST. His lecture lecture this evening can be viewed by clicking here. 

Dr. John Bruchalski is the founder of the Tepeyac Family Center in Fairfax, Virginia which is one of the only all pro-life OB/GYN health care practices in the nation. He is a dynamic and engaging speaker whose story and style reaches people on all sides of the culture battle and shows them the value of an evidence-based approach to medicine and the value of treating the whole person.

His past presentations have included, “The Struggle Making Abortion Safe, Legal, and Rare: A bioethics & clinical discussion on barriers to access, health care reform, and evidence-based medicine,” was a huge success in bringing students out from all sides of the abortion debate.

You can watch Dr. Bruchalski’s past lectures here. 

On our 2nd to last stop on our spring med tour, Dr. Anita Showalter will speak to med students at A.T. Still about “Life as a Pro-Life ObGyn.” Tuesday, May 6th 12pm MST. 5850 E. Still Circle Mesa, AZ 85206 Click here to watch Dr. Showalter 

Dr. Showalter is the Assistant Dean of Clinical Sciences and Chair of Women’s Health at Pacific Northwest University of Medical Science in Yakima, Washington.  She is a graduate of Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, has board certification in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and has been inducted into the Osteopathic Mentor Hall of Fame.  She promotes the intelligent, sensitive care of women understanding the connection of body, mind and spirit.  She also promotes a deep respect for life and life processes that reflect intelligent design.

Last Saturday, medical students and health care professionals gathered for Medical Students for Life first Northeast Regional Conference at Dartmouth College.

Here is a run down of speakers and topics covered at the conference.

Byron C. Calhoun, MD, FACOG, FACS, MBA
Topic: Lethal Prenatal Diagnosis & Perinatal Hospice
Dr. Calhoun is a diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is board certified in general Obstetrics/Gynecology and the sub-specialty of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. He is an original author of the perinatal hospice concept, which provides a multidisciplinary care to families with a lethal prenatal diagnosis. Dr. Calhoun serves as Professor and Vice-Chair in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at West Virginia University-Charleston. He is also the National Medical Advisor for NIFLA, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates.
Video of Dr. Calhoun’s lecture available here: Part 1, Part 2

Paul Sansone, MD
Topic: A physician’s right of conscience on the front lines of medical care
Dr. Sansone is a diplomat of the American Board of Anesthesiology and is board certified in Anesthesiology and the subspecialty of Pain Medicine. He serves as an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH.
Video of Dr. Sansone’s lecture available here

Nicole Varasteh, MD, FACOG, NaProtechnology medical consultant
Topic: Counseling patients with pregnancy options Dr. Varasteh is a diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is board certified in general Obstetrics/Gynecology and trained in Natural Procreative Technology (NaProTechnology) as a medical consultant using the CREIGHTON MODEL FERTILITY CARE SYSTEM (CRMS). She received her Doctor of Medicine from New York Medical College and completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Luke’s – Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City. She is an attending Obstetrician Gynecologist at Dartmouth Hitchcock in Concord, NH. She has 5 children and is the medical director of several Care Net crisis pregnancy centers in New Hampshire.
Video of Dr. Varasteh’s lecture available here

Anne Burge, Executive Director, Pregnancy Center of the Upper Valley
Topic: Medical Connections with Pregnancy Resource Centers
PCUV serves 500 new clients each year who are facing consequences of premature sexual activity. Unexpected pregnancy is the primary point of entry; however, the center’s services encompass a three-tiered focus of prevention, intervention and recovery. As Executive Director, the center began offering limited obstetrical ultrasound services, and are now in the process of opening a residential facility for parenting and/or pregnant women.

Video of Anne Burge’s lecture available here

Last week we traveled with Dr. Lanfranchi on our Spring Tour to present the abortion breast cancer link at Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University. A large number of pro-abortion medical students arrived to hear the presentation. After Dr. Lanfranchi gave her presentation, she opened the floor for discussion. The pro-abortion students started the process of poking holes in her presentation; they had reviewed her video lectures and examined her website in an effort to discredit her. All of their efforts were refuted by an overwhelming body of published work that shows the association between abortion and breast cancer. Many of them left the Q&A in frustration. Dr. Lanfranchi is a well-respected breast surgeon and published clinician. Our guest lecturers have impeccable credentials and as much as the other side tries to silence the truth, it’s hard to argue with an expert. To view her lecture click here.

The idea of starting a Med Students for Life group at your Medical School can be daunting when you consider the demands of your M1 and M2 schedule. Not to mention the stigma that is placed on students who dare to speak up on behalf of life-affirming medical care for the preborn and their mothers. Despite the obstacles, the need for med students to be the voice of truth and light on our medical school campuses is imperative to advancing a strong patient-doctor relationship based in the rights of conscience and grounded in the Hippocratic Oath to do no harm.

Jason from NOVA Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine wrote us to tell of his success in starting a Medical Students for Life group at a private medical school:

“Yesterday I presented to the SGA and through lots of prayer and reaching out to others, we were officially approved as Medical Students for Life. It was a tough crowd and a difficult presentation to give, but one that I made sure to be well prepared for in advance. It proves that anything is possible with prayer and I learned that it’s all about the approach you take and to ask for God to be there at your side. Thank you for the prayers and support, I couldn’t have done it without you! I look forward to working with you in the future to bring awareness and education to the medical students at NOVA.”

As Jason and many others change the hearts and minds of their fellow medicals students, Medical Students for Life of America is here to provide resources, training and guest medical lectures.

If you are interested in starting a Medical Students for Life group at your medical school, please send us an email and let us know how we can help.