Nurses to Practice Abortion Techniques on Dragon Fruit at University of Illinois Chicago’s ‘Abortion Care Skills Day’
The University of Illinois Chicago’s College of Nursing is hosting an “Abortion Care Skills Day” on February 6, designed to provide nursing students with training in medicated and procedural abortions. The program includes hands-on practice using dragon fruit to simulate a fetus.
According to the university, the all-day training will give students foundational guidance on abortion care and is part of the Reproductive Advocacy and Diversity in Advanced Nursing Training (RADIANT) Fellowship. The fellowship aims to educate nurses and midwives on providing “compassionate” abortion care and reducing costs associated with these procedures.
Some students have voiced opposition to the training. Kyra Kishore, a spokesperson for Students for Life, described the program as “intentional indoctrination,” saying, “The very people that are meant to save lives are taught how to intentionally end them by starving, vacuuming, dismembering, and poisoning the most vulnerable in our society.” Kishore also shared personal concerns as someone planning to have a family in the future, noting that it is “quite scary thinking about how my future doctor or nurse may not value my child’s life.”
The university’s webpage describes abortion as “safe and effective,” citing research from the National Abortion Federation, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the World Health Organization. The training will be led by nursing professors Kyla Liese, founder of the RADIANT Fellowship, and Pamela Pearson, both from the Department of Human Development Nursing Science at UIC. Liese’s work operates from what the university calls a “reproductive justice framework.”
Illinois is among the states that have legalized abortion as a “fundamental right,” including procedures beyond preserving the life or health of a child after birth.
About Post Author
