History of Abortion and CHOICES
CHOICES Women's Medical Center was founded in 1971 by Merle Hoffman, a leading advocate of women's rights and reproductive freedom.
This was shortly after abortion became legal in New York State, two years before the Roe V Wade decision legalizing abortion nationally.
CHOICES stands for Creative Health Organization for Information, Counseling and Educational Services.
The first woman to come to CHOICES was from New Jersey, a state where
abortion was still illegal at that time. She was young, married with one
child, but having a child at that time was financially impossible for her.
Since that day so many years ago, CHOICES has been there for hundreds of
thousands of women assisting them in what is one of the most difficult and
profound decisions OF THEIR LIVES.
New York State is one of the few states today that has NO restrictions on getting an abortion.
There are NO laws requiring parental notification or consent, and NO
required waiting periods. You can get a first-trimester abortion (the
first three months of pregnancy) the same day you come in and also BEGIN
the process of a second trimester abortion.
CHOICES provides medical abortion services (RU486) up to 9 weeks gestation
and surgical abortion services in both the first trimester (up to 12 weeks
gestation) and second trimester (from 12.1 to 24 weeks).
New York is also one of the few states that continue to offer Medicaid
funding for low-income women. Today, women come to CHOICES from all over
New York, many other states, and many countries to access our services.
Each has her own story and her own reasons. They know and trust that they
will receive the best of care, compassion and confidentiality at CHOICES.
The status of abortion in the U.S.
In the U.S., abortion was made legal nationwide in 1973 by the landmark
Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision.
The court's position stated that in the first trimester, abortion is a
decision between a woman and her physician. In the second trimester the
state has a "right to regulate" abortion practices. In New York there is a
law requiring that all second trimester abortions be done in licensed and
regulated outpatient facilities such as CHOICES. In the third trimester,
abortion is only allowed to save the life or health of the woman.
The Roe decision was a great advance for women. It meant that women had
the legal right to decide for themselves whether or not to become a mother
and how they wanted to live their lives. In a sense it was the Medical
Equal Rights Amendment. For the first time in history women were given a
legal right of decision-making equal with their physicians.
Unfortunately, due to anti-choice pressure, many states have instituted
restrictions that make it difficult for women to exercise their right to
abortion. Abortion opponents have claimed many different reasons for these
restrictions, but they all are aimed at making it more difficult to get an
abortion and to discourage women from exercising their most fundamental
right to decide for themselves whether or not to give birth.
Restrictions in some states include:
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Requiring a minor to obtain parental notification and/or consent to her decision to have an abortion. |
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Requiring a woman seeking an abortion to wait a specified period of time between when she receives counseling and the procedure is performed. |
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Requiring that the woman be given non-proven and false information about abortion. |
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In addition, because of such restrictive laws and the actions of
anti-abortion forces who have threatened and even killed doctors and
health care workers, finding an abortion provider can be very difficult in
many states. Over 87 percent of counties in the U.S. have NO abortion
provider at all, and women and girls have to travel great distances to get
care. New York State is fortunate to have none of these restrictive laws.
At CHOICES, we are committed to making abortion available and accessible
to every woman who does not want to continue a pregnancy for any reason.
We at CHOICES WOMEN'S MEDICAL CENTER firmly believe that in matters of
pregnancy and childbearing, women and their lives must come first, and
women must be the ones to decide. We are committed to helping women make
the best decisions for themselves and their loved ones.
CHOICES is committed to Women's Health throughout their reproductive - and
post-reproductive - lives.
Teens and Abortion
From its beginning, CHOICES has felt strongly that teenaged women need to
have the same access to reproductive health services as adult women and
are fully capable of making decisions for themselves. At the same time, we
strongly encourage parents, a close relative, or a significant other to be
part of the decision process for support and assistance. At CHOICES, these
significant others can participate in the counseling session if the woman
chooses to have them. At no time, however, is parental or partner consent
or notification required for a teen to come to CHOICES for an abortion or
birth control.
CHOICES Promotes Science-Based Education
CHOICES is a strong advocate of accurate, science-based sex and sexuality
education and provides experienced, trained educators for school, college
or community-based classes and programs. We believe that the more women
understand their bodies and their options, the more control they can have
over their lives and futures. In Fall 2007, we hosted our Community Health
Fair at CHOICES that featured a blood drive, educational displays and
workshops on important health issues. See our Education and Outreach page
for details.
CHOICES is licensed by the State of New York as an outpatient medical
facility and is subject to its regulations for health care providers. We
are accredited by the AAAHC (American Association of Ambulatory Health
Care) and have one of the best clinical outcome statistics in the country.
We are committed to providing the very best in a full range of
reproductive health care, including birth control, abortion, pre-natal,
and all gynecological issues.
QUICK LINKS
Medical Abortion Services (RU486)
First Trimester Abortion
Second Trimester Abortion
Frequently Asked Questions about Abortion at Choices
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| At CHOICES, we emphasize our philosophy of Patient Power, which means being an informed consumer of medical treatment with the knowledge and information that enables each individual to make appropriate decisions about medical care, whether in the area of general health, surgery or birth control. |
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