Above: Dr. Clotea (furthest right) with Advocacy for Life course participants in Bucharest
Romanian OB/GYN resident and AAPLOG member Dr. Eliza Clotea has launched an exciting project: presenting AAPLOG’s 12-part course on advocating for life in medicine to fellow residents and medical students in Romanian. Working with Bucharest Students for Life, the physician translated the Advocacy for Life course into her native language – all while managing her busy schedule as an OB resident.
Dr. Clotea says she discovered the original Advocacy for Life course by chance two years ago; at the time, she was looking for resources to support the growing community of pro-life medical students and physicians that she was building in her home country. “I was enormously pleased to discover this well-structured, accessible course,” she recalls. “My first reaction was: I must write to AAPLOG to ask them to allow me to translate this course into Romanian.”
After obtaining AAPLOG’s enthusiastic encouragement, Dr. Clotea launched her translation project and began presenting the translated course both in person and online in early May. Almost all of the online participants, she says, “were from other parts of the country and would not have been able to attend the course physically.”
So far, the feedback that Dr. Clotea has gotten about this course has been positive. She has been told that the “information is clear, useful, necessary in the training of a pro-life doctor, and that the arguments are well explained.”
Directly after the first in-person class, Dr. Clotea generously allowed two medical students to shadow her while she was on call, giving them the opportunity to observe the principles of life-affirming medicine at work. Coincidentally, one of the patients Dr. Clotea counseled while being shadowed was a woman facing a crisis pregnancy, whom she empowered to choose life for her baby by talking through her options and offering her support.
“I think it is very important to equip young doctors with pro-life information,” Dr. Clotea says. “No matter what specialty they choose later in life, every one of them will meet several times in life a woman in pregnancy crisis, and the knowledge of theoretical concepts, combined with testimonies of women in pregnancy crisis and a lot of empathy, will change hearts and save lives.”
“Moreover, students who want to go on to do obstetrics and gynecology understand much better through this course the situations they will face, they can prepare themselves much better for that moment with this information, and they know where to ask for help when they feel they need advice or encouragement.”
The Advocacy for Life course was originally developed by AAPLOG in partnership with Med/Law Students for Life of America. The 12-hour online seminar equips pro-life medical professionals “to interact effectively with those who hold different views in the dynamic field of medicine.”
The seminar aims to:
- Deepen understanding of Hippocratic ethical principles in contrast to the prevailing utilitarian and autonomy-only ethics
- Explore the medical, social, ethical, and legal aspects surrounding abortion and physician-assisted suicide
- Review conscience protections for healthcare professionals and teach basic advocacy skills
- Incorporate group discussions, case presentations, and mentorship to facilitate advocacy for Hippocratic Medicine
- Understand legal obligations to conscience protections in medical schools, residencies, and medical practices
Dr. Clotea tells us that she would encourage pro-life physicians in other countries to make this course available in their communities as well. “The courses and trainings are a life-giving water that those who feel the dryness of the culture of death are chasing after,” she says.
We are proud of Dr. Clotea’s initiative to equip pro-life medical students and residents to defend the life-affirming philosophy of medical care. If you are an international member with ideas for similar projects, please don’t hesitate to reach out to info@aaplog.org. We would be honored to help you realize your vision however we can.
