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Medical Students Are Using Papayas to do ‘Practice Abortions’

Doctors and medical providers are concerned about the future legality of abortions. Regardless of your personal feeling about this highly controversial topic, the threat of abortions becoming illegal means that the procedure could go underground, resulting in illegal abortions performed by individuals who might not have appropriate medical training, or might not have the right kind of experience to be carrying these procedures. This could increase the threat of complications and injuries related to abortions.

Perhaps due to the controversial nature of abortions, many medical programs in the United States fail to offer detailed instruction pertaining to the abortion procedure. One group is hoping to make abortion procedures easier to safely perform by doctors who have been trained, and more accessible to people who want to receive one — even if the procedure becomes illegal. The nonprofit group is holding special seminars where they teach how to use a simple kit that’s portable and discrete to safely perform abortions in secret.

In order to train doctors how to use this kit, the nonprofit group is using the unlikely prop of a papaya, which resembles the female reproductive organs, including the cervix and womb. One doctor in the training said that the papaya felt natural to her as it mimicked the female reproductive system so well. As for whether she would perform an illegal abortion, she said, “If necessary, I would risk going to prison or losing my license. No one should have to do a self-induced abortion.”

Due to a lack of training, many doctors perform abortions in a risky, dangerous or ill-advised way. If you were injured by a negligent or poorly trained doctor while receiving an abortion, you might be pursue financial compensation regarding your abortion injuries.

Source: The Guardian, “Why medical students are practicing abortions on papayas,” Dec. 22, 2017