Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health held an event last month to present its William K. Rashbaum, MD, Abortion Provider Award. The mind boggles at the idea. Does the PRCH honour the abortionist who eliminates the most unborn children? Or the abortionist who does so most efficiently (abortions per hour, perhaps)? Or an abortionist who contributes to some advance in technique or research-based improvements in their trade? Really, the whole idea is, as Jill Stanek notes, creepy.
Actually, the PRCH says it provides the Rashbaum award — and is it an honour to have an award named after oneself that recognizes serial killers? — to honor “a physician who provides outstanding abortion services and serves as an inspirational leader for colleagues, residents, and medical students.” There is also a George Tiller, MD, Abortion Provider Award, which “recognizes a physician early in his or her career who provides abortions while demonstrating leadership and courage.” I guess that’s because abortionists want (need?) to encourage doctors to get into the killing business.
The PRCH provides this bio for the Rashbaum award “winner”, Carolyn Westoff:
Dr. Westhoff is medical director of the New York Presbyterian Hospital Family Planning Clinic, professor of epidemiology and population and family health, and professor of obstetrics and gynecology, all at Columbia University. She is also director of Columbia’s Family Planning Fellowship. In her 24 years at Columbia, she has expanded the hospital’s minimal abortion services into a robust program of patient care, training, and research.
Dr. Westhoff was one of the lead investigators who brought mifepristone to the United States and advocated publicly for its use. A lifelong activist and founding member of PRCH, she was a plaintiff in the case against the federal ban on so-called “partial-birth” abortion.
Dr. Westhoff has mentored hundreds of physicians and serves on the board of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
So while I mocked the idea of abortion research, it is clear that the research abortionists do is meant to expand abortion services (medical as opposed to surgical abortions in Westhoff’s case); how unbiased to you think that research would be? However, when you look at past winners, you realize that vastly expanding abortion is the number one criteria for being honoured — as well as working with abortion-advocacy and abortion-expanding organizations, like the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and being part of lawsuits to thwart attempts to regulate abortion.
