Watch: ‘Being Pro-Choice Has Increased My Client Base’ – Pro-Choice Gynaecologist Says
Maltese gynaecologist and founder of Doctors for Choice Isabel Stabile said that being pro-choice has increased her client-base, because many patients want a practitioner who is “open-minded”.
Stabile sat down with Lovin Malta just before she was awarded the Dutch Embassy’s Human Rights Embassy Tulip Award for her work on sexual and reproductive rights in Malta.
Reflecting on whether her vocal stance on abortion has impacted her career as a gynaecologist and researcher in Malta, Stabile, who runs a private practice, said no to the former, but yes to the latter.
“From the point of view of my clinical career, no. If anything, I would say that being pro-choice has actually increased my clients.”
This isn’t necessary, because patients are interested in abortion, she explained, “they just want to be able to speak to someone who is more open-minded”.
However, from an academic point of view, there have been repercussions, Stabile explained.
She moved to the Faculty of Dental Surgery within the University of Malta after not feeling “very welcomed” by the Faculty of Medicine. “But it’s fine, I’m much happier and frankly in a better place.”
The gynaecologist and acclaimed activist went on to explain that there are many gynaecologists and general practitioners (GPs) who share the same pro-choice sentiments as her but fear to be open about it. In these cases, they generally refer patients to Stabile or any of her pro-choice colleagues like Natalie Psaila Stabile.
On the other hand, some older colleagues are much more conservative and very “anti-choice and this is obviously a problem”.
It is a problem, because abortion is healthcare and must therefore fit within the medical framework, she continued.
She concluded by saying that it is “unbelievable and inconsolable that medical students in Malta are not taught anything about abortion”.
“Remember, we are making doctors for the world, not just for Malta. We need to do better.”
Do you think that medical students should be taught about abortion during their tertiary education?
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