The Cuban model of medical education is internationally touted for its emphasis on public health and for its understanding of the biopsychosocial underpinnings of health and disease. This model recognizes that health and disease cannot be separated from political and social realities. As a physician trained at the Latin American Medical School (ELAM), this model served me well upon reentry to the United States where I practice as an abortion provider. I am daily confronted with the reality of women’s lives in the United States, a reality that is very different from Cuba. Although a poor country, Cubans have access to health care and education and have a clear sense of empowerment, all of which are severely lacking in the United States. My training in Cuba gives me a framework of understanding that allows me to treat my patients with compassion and respect.

Increasingly in the U.S., women seeking abortion care are living in poverty, struggling with addiction, experiencing or surviving from childhood or adult physical and sexual violence. The pervasive idea in Cuba that everyone is entitled to quality health care cultivates an approach based on the principle that all patients deserve to be treated with empathy and dignity. Participants in this session will learn about a unique empowering approach to caring for women seeking abortions in the US based on the author’s training both in Cuba and the US.