Medical Doctors for Choice proudly supports Medical Students For Choice as future pro-physicians
About MSFC
MSFC is an international organization founded by medical students in the USA in 1993 as a response to the almost complete deficit of abortion education in their medical training. MSFC works to ensure that medical students and trainees are educated about all aspects of reproductive health care, including abortion from legal to medical aspect- https://msfc.org/.
The Rwandan chapter of Medical Students for Choice was the first African MSFC chapter to be found in 2013. The MSFC Rwanda chapter has provided a good opportunity for the promotion of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights topics among future doctors, with a special focus on abortion care.
Despite the sensitivity and legal restrictions around abortion in a Rwandan context, MSFC is the only opportunity for Rwandan medical students to discuss abortion issues looking at both legal and medical aspect, and it is a good occasion for future doctors to realize the burden weighing on women’s health and reproductive rights in general.
MSFC Rwanda is a good opportunity to identify advocacy strategy regarding comprehensive SRHR trainings among future doctors and means to reach the right targets. It is important to recognize the need of comprehensive reproductive health and rights and to advocate for them in the context of human rights.
MSFC envisions a future where doctors are equipped with full skills and confidence to provide safe abortion services without bias in a Rwandan context and a future where Rwandan women and girls know when, how, and where to legally access safe services when they need one.
The MSFC ultimate mission is to contribute to the creation of confident tomorrow’s safe abortion and related SRHR services Providers in a Rwandan context.
Every month medical students for choice members gather to discuss SRHR in a clinical setting and legal aspect with a special focus on safe abortion care and related reproductive health topics.
Total reach since 2020: 1650 Medical students.
The medical student’s training emphasizes exploring assumptions around safe abortion and their role as future providers in ensuring legal and safe access to abortion care for women and girls in the Rwandan context.
The MSFC Africa Regional Meeting, gathers African medical students for choice from different MSFC chapters Across Africa in one African country to discuss the challenges around safe abortion and related SRHR topics in a clinical setting and legal aspect at least once in 2 years. This idea was suggested by Dr. Jean Berchmans UWIMANA 2017, former leader of MSFC Rwanda chapter, in 2017 as a response to difficulties that deprive African medical students for choice to participate in similar gatherings that take place in the USA and UK, here to mention the main challenges like travel documents and financial challenges. Since this idea was inaugurated, the MSFC Rwanda chapter has hosted 2 successive MSFC ARM in Rwanda-Kigali in 2017 and 2019. Both ARMS’ have been fully sponsored, thanks to MSFC HQ and stakeholders. The most recent EARM was also held successfully in Kigali Rwanda 2023.
Safe Abortion Videos Edutainment (SAVE) aims at adding to the knowledge of future pro-choice physicians through Edutainment. This Innovation uses a triad approach of covering the legal aspect, medical aspect and behavior change with ambition to increase the comfort level of future safe abortion and related SRHR services providers.
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