Caring for Both:
A Curbside Consult Series (Episodes 1-20)
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Episode 20
In this episode, board-certified family physician Dr. Lisa Gilbert further discusses the adoption system and how medical professionals can support pregnant patients considering making an adoption plan for their children.
Dr. Gilbert is on faculty at the Ascension Via Christi Family Medicine Residency Program. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). After residency, she completed a fellowship in International Family Medicine, received additional certification in Tropical Medicine, and has worked internationally in Niger, Cameroon, and Liberia. She is passionate about beginning and end of life issues, bioethics, and conscience protections. She serves as Chair of the Ascension Via Christi Ethics Integration Committee in Wichita and also has completed a Master’s degree in Catholic Clinical Ethics from Georgetown University. She is a prolife advocate and serves as Kansas State Director for the American Academy of Medical Ethics (AAME). Within AAPLOG, she is founder and chair of the Family Medicine Subsection, and has served on the AAPLOG board for over 3 years.
Episode 19
In the first of this two-part episode, board-certified family physician Dr. Lisa Gilbert, FAAFP discusses what medical professionals need to know about adoption: the demographics of patients who make adoption plans for their children, the reasons that go into an adoption decision, an overview of the adoption process, and more.
Dr. Gilbert is a board-certified family physician and is on faculty at the Ascension Via Christi Family Medicine Residency Program. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). After residency, she completed a fellowship in International Family Medicine, received additional certification in Tropical Medicine, and has worked internationally in Niger, Cameroon, and Liberia. She is passionate about beginning and end of life issues, bioethics, and conscience protections. She serves as Chair of the Ascension Via Christi Ethics Integration Committee in Wichita and also has completed a Master’s degree in Catholic Clinical Ethics from Georgetown University. She is a prolife advocate and serves as Kansas State Director for the American Academy of Medical Ethics (AAME). Within AAPLOG, she is founder and chair of the Family Medicine Subsection, and has served on the AAPLOG board for over 3 years.
Episode 18
In part 2 of this two-part episode on fertility awareness and cycle charting, Dr. Marguerite Duane offers thoughts on the current state of fertility education in medical training, reviews common misconceptions about FABMs, and offers resources to medical professionals and patients.
Dr. Duane is a board-certified family physician and the co-founder and Executive Director of FACTS About Fertility, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating healthcare professionals and students about the scientifically valid natural or fertility awareness-based methods of family planning. Dr. Duane recently completed a primary care research fellowship with a focus on fertility awareness at the University of Utah. She also serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor at Georgetown University, where she directs an introductory course on fertility awareness. Dr. Duane is trained as a Creighton, FEMM and NeoFertility Medical consultant, as well as a TeenSTAR educator. She has published articles on the effectiveness of FABMs for family planning and the use of apps for tracking fertility. She has also developed and delivered multiple presentations, nationally and internationally on the use of FABMs for family planning and women’s health.
Find FACTS at FACTS About Fertility: Home
Episode 17
Dr. Marguerite Duane, board-certified family physician and executive director of FACTS About Fertility, discusses fertility awareness and cycle charting — their roles in a physician’s practice and patients’ lives. This is the first of a two-part conversation.
Dr. Duane recently completed a primary care research fellowship with a focus on fertility awareness at the University of Utah. She also serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor at Georgetown University, where she directs an introductory course on fertility awareness. Dr. Duane is trained as a Creighton, FEMM and NeoFertility Medical consultant, as well as a TeenSTAR educator. She has published articles on the effectiveness of FABMs for family planning and the use of apps for tracking fertility. She has also developed and delivered multiple presentations, nationally and internationally on the use of FABMs for family planning and women’s health.
Episode 16
In this second of a two-part episode, Dr. Calum Miller explains the impact of sex education and contraception on abortion rates.
Dr. Miller currently works as a medical doctor in the UK. He also teaches Philosophy at the University of Oxford, where his research focuses on abortion policy in practice. Dr. Miller has given over 40 academic presentations internationally and taken part in multiple debates against the CEO of the UK’s largest private abortion provider, BPAS. He has published in top academic venues on a variety of topics, including maternal mortality in the developing world, the ethics of voting on abortion, animal and fetal pain, abortion and mental health, and telemedicine abortion. He has received prizes from the University of Oxford and the Royal College of Psychiatrists for his work on Bioethics.
You can find Dr. Miller at: calumsblog.com – for essays, publications, and thoughts on abortion or calummiller.org – to book him as a speaker.
Twitter: @DrCalumMiller
Episode 15
In the first of this two-part conversation about public policy and induced abortion, Dr. Calum Miller makes evidence-based assessments of the claims that (1) abortion restrictions don’t lower abortion rates and (2) expanding welfare programs do lower abortion rates.
Dr. Miller currently works as a medical doctor in the UK. He also teaches Philosophy at the University of Oxford, where his research focuses on abortion policy in practice. Dr. Miller has given over 40 academic presentations internationally and taken part in multiple debates against the CEO of the UK’s largest private abortion provider, BPAS. He has published in top academic venues on a variety of topics, including maternal mortality in the developing world, the ethics of voting on abortion, animal and fetal pain, abortion and mental health, and telemedicine abortion. He has received prizes from the University of Oxford and the Royal College of Psychiatrists for his work on Bioethics.
You can find Dr. Miller at:
calumsblog.com – for essays, publications, and thoughts on abortion or calummiller.org – to book him as a speaker
Twitter: @DrCalumMiller
Episode 14
Dr. Christina Francis offers more insights on how to defend the pro-life position on abortion. Topics include the “hard cases”, tips for application in a medical or school setting, and more.
Dr. Francis is a board-certified OB-GYN with nearly two decades of experience; she currently works as an OB-GYN hospitalist in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She is also an associate scholar with the Charlotte Lozier Institute, a board member of Indiana Right to Life, and a physician member of the Abortion Pill Reversal Network. As a pro-life speaker, Dr. Francis offers her medical expertise, knowledge of bioethics, and pro-life reasoning both here in the U.S and around the globe. She has written on issues surrounding women’s health and abortion for publications including the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek and USA Today.
Episode 13
In this first of a two-part conversation, AAPLOG CEO Dr. Christina Francis offers thoughts on how pro-life medical professionals can best articulate their views on abortion. This episode covers preborn personhood, bodily autonomy arguments, the definition of abortion, and more.
Dr. Francis is a board-certified OB-GYN with nearly two decades of experience; she currently works as an OB-GYN hospitalist in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She is also an associate scholar with the Charlotte Lozier Institute, a board member of Indiana Right to Life, and a physician member of the Abortion Pill Reversal Network. As a pro-life speaker, Dr. Francis offers her medical expertise, knowledge of bioethics, and pro-life reasoning both here in the U.S and around the globe. She has written on issues surrounding women’s health and abortion for publications including the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek and USA Today.
Episode 12
In this episode, Indiana State Senator and emerency medicine physician Dr. Tyler Johnson offers insights on his own career about how pro-life medical professionals can maximize the change they make in their communities by speaking out and getting involved in government.
Indiana State Sen. Tyler Johnson was elected in 2022 to represent Hoosiers in Senate District 14. Dr. Johnson represents portions of Allen and DeKalb counties. He serves on the Senate Committees on Education and Career Development; Elections; Family and Children Services; and Health and Provider Services. A graduate of Leo High School and University of Saint Francis, Dr. Johnson returned home after medical school to become an emergency room physician in Northeast Indiana. In the community, he serves as the director of emergency medicine, chief of staff, and on the board of directors for his hospital. He represents emergency physicians in Indiana by working with hospitals and legislators on improving patient safety and access to care. Dr. Johnson is also an active member of AAPLOG.
You can find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/votedrjohnson
Episode 11
Board-certified OB-GYN Dr. Steve Braatz offers insights on serving post-abortive patients.
Resources mentioned in this episode from which you may benefit are:
- Support After Abortion: www.supportaferabortion.com
- Rachel’s Vineyard: www.rachelsvineyard.org
Steven Braatz, MD is AAPLOG’s chair of the board of directors. Dr. Braatz is a board-certified OB/GYN on staff at Northeastern Health Center in Susanville, California. He is also an associate scholar with the Charlotte Lozier Institute. Dr. Braatz has 39 years of clinical experience and has served as chairman of the OB/GYN department at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, California and served with the Marine Corps First Medical Battalion during the war with Iraq. He has published op/ed and journal articles on moral problems with abortion. In 2008 he was awarded the Humanitarian Service Award by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for medical missions work in West Africa.
Episode 10
In this episode, maternal fetal medicine specialist Dr. Jeffrey Wright explains what an abortion is and isn’t in light of post-Dobbs media narratives surrounding the definition of abortion and whether legal abortion regulations allow physicians to treat pregnancy complications.
Dr. Wright is a board-certified Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist in North Carolina. He completed his MD and a residency and fellowship at the University of Texas Medical School in San Antonio, where he co-founded that institution’s first fetal diagnostic unit and developed the institution’s capability in fetal echocardiography, fetal Doppler, and umbilical blood sampling. Later he founded the first Maternal Fetal Medicine practice in Southeastern North Carolina where he has cared for pregnant patients and their unborn children since 1990.
Episode 9
In the second of this two-part episode, Robin Atkins discusses the relationship between abortion and mental health. Topics include sexual assault, advice for medical professionals having conversations on abortion with patients, and more.
Robin Atkins is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who has been in practice for over 15 years and has operated her own practice since 2015, specializing in reproductive mental health. This includes serving patients who are dealing with infertility, high-risk pregnancy, traumatic birth, postpartum depression and anxiety, pregnancy loss, and more. She sits on the AAPLOG Board of Directors and serves as Chair of our Mental Health Subsection.
Episode 8
In the first of this two part episode, Robin Atkins discusses the relationship between abortion and mental health, drawing from the psychological literature as well as her own experience as a practicing mental health counselor.
Robin Atkins is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who has been in practice for over 15 years and has operated her own practice since 2015, specializing in reproductive mental health. This includes serving patients who are dealing with infertility, high-risk pregnancy, traumatic birth, postpartum depression and anxiety, pregnancy loss, and more. She sits on the AAPLOG Board of Directors and serves as Chair of our Mental Health Subsection.
Episode 7
In this episode, Betsy Morton, RN, CNM discusses the role of pro-life healthcare in her midwifery practice, the lack of inclusion of pro-life midwives by the American College of Nurse-Midwives, and more.
Betsy Morton, RN, CNM has been on the AAPLOG board as head of the Midwifery subsection since 2019. She currently serves as Nurse Supervisor for the Erlanger Nurse-Family Partnership, which is a community health program that serves low-income first-time moms by partnering them with a nurse for regular support from pregnancy to their child’s second birthday. She also volunteers with Lifespring Community Health and Midwives in Support of Life, a subsection of the American College of Nurse-Midwives.
Episode 6
In the second of this two-part episode, attorney Erik Baptist, senior counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, and host Dr. Christina Francis offer an explanation of the federal lawsuit challenging the FDA’s approval of the chemical abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol that’s currently moving through the courts, The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA. Topics include the potential outcomes of the lawsuit and the potential impacts on medical professionals and their patients.
Get updates on this case from the Alliance Defending Freedom:
Erik Baptist is the lead attorney representing the plaintiffs in AHM v FDA. He serves as senior counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, focusing on administrative litigation and regulatory advocacy. Before working at ADF, he was a partner at one of the largest law firms in Washington, DC, and a senior executive service political appointee at the US Environmental Protection Agency. Erik is admitted to practice before the US Supreme Court and several federal courts of appeal and so he definitely brings a great depth of experience and knowledge to this case.
Episode 5
We’re taking a break from curbside consult material to bring you an update to a federal lawsuit that may have implications for your patients. In the first of this two-part episode, attorney Erik Baptist, senior counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, and host Dr. Christina Francis offer an explanation of the federal lawsuit challenging the FDA’s approval of the chemical abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol that’s currently moving through the courts, The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA. Topics include what this lawsuit is about, a brief history of mifepristone in the United States, and a summary of the developments in this case.
Get updates on this case from the Alliance Defending Freedom:
Erik Baptist is the lead attorney representing the plaintiffs in AHM v FDA. He serves as senior counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, focusing on administrative litigation and regulatory advocacy. Before working at ADF, he was a partner at one of the largest law firms in Washington, DC, and a senior executive service political appointee at the US Environmental Protection Agency. Erik is admitted to practice before the US Supreme Court and several federal courts of appeal and so he definitely brings a great depth of experience and knowledge to this case.
Episode 4
In this episode, Dr. Susan Bane and Kristen Eckenweiler, Medical Director and Patient Services Director at a pregnancy resource center in North Carolina, offer advice for medical professionals on how to navigate abortion decisions and more.
Dr. Susan Bane is a board-certified OB-GYN based in North Carolina. She serves as the Medical Director of Choices Women’s Center, and is an AAPLOG Board Member. She is also on faculty at Barton College.
Kristen Eckenweiler, M.Ed. is the Client Services Director of this same clinic, where she oversees all client activities, as well as all resources, training and evaluation of all Client Advocates and Volunteers in the center. She also served as Vice Chair on the Board of Directors for Choices for 7 years.
Episode 3
In the first of this two-part episode, Susan Bane, MD, PhD, and Kristen Eckenweiler, MEd speak to their experience caring for patients in a pregnancy resource center, including the services such organizations provide to women facing tough pregnancy decisions, and how physicians can speak to women considering abortion in their practice.
Dr. Susan Bane is a board-certified OB-GYN based in North Carolina. She serves as the Medical Director of Choices Women’s Center, and is an AAPLOG Board Member. She is also on faculty at Barton College.
Kristen Eckenweiler, M.Ed. is the Client Services Director of this same clinic, where she oversees all client activities, as well as all resources, training and evaluation of all Client Advocates and Volunteers in the center. She also served as Vice Chair on the Board of Directors for Choices for 7 years.
Episode 2
Dr. George Delgado, founder of the Abortion Pill Reversal program, discusses the theory, evidence, and critiques of abortion pill reversal, or the use of natural progesterone to reverse the effects of mifepristone.
Dr. George Delgado is a board member at AAPLOG. He is also the president of Steno Institute and medical consultant to the Abortion Pill Rescue Network. He published two case studies in the peer-reviewed medical literature describing the reversal of mifepristone using progesterone. He also established Abortion Pill Reversal, a program that connects women who have changed their minds after taking mifepristone (RU 486) and want to reverse the effects of the abortion pill. APR also seeks to refine and improve the treatment protocols for reversing mifepristone. He is board certified in family medicine and in hospice and palliative medicine.