By the 1970s, abortion had become the most controversial issue related to birth control. Advances made in family planning, including the advent of the intrauterine device, new oral contraceptive formulations, and the testing of medroxyprogesterone acetate (Depo-Provera), became overshadowed by the abortion debate. Congress passed the Family Planning and Population Research Act of 1970, theoretically ensuring the availability of family planning measures in the United States for all who voluntarily request them. Although the 1973 Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade guaranteed this right, the law would be sorely tested throughout the coming years.
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"In a pluralistic society, the religious and moral beliefs of those who regard abortion as preferable to compulsory childbearing deserve the same respect as the beliefs of those to whom abortion is unacceptable. We reaffirm our policy that states that "it is the right of every woman to decide whether and when to bear a child."
- Dr. Richard M. Frank, AAPPP President, Letter to President Nixon, 1971 |
During these early years, the Association itself was undergoing its own tests of strength. A financial crisis at Planned Parenthood meant that AAPPP had to seek funding from outside the organization. This provided a catalyst for AAPPP's move toward financial autonomy and semi-independence from Planned Parenthood. The new relationship between them would become one of liaison and mutually beneficial cooperation, with AAPPP's president sitting on the Planned Parenthood board of directors, and the Planned Parenthood medical committee chair sitting on AAPPP's board.
Taking the first step, AAPPP requested from Planned Parenthood an administrative secretary, office space, telephone and office expenses for the conduct of the Association's official business. This arrangement would be on a temporary, transitional basis. Following two shorter-term employees, Ms. Reina Carbonero was hired in 1974 and provided administrative services for the Association until 1986. Ms. Carbonero was responsible for keeping the Association accounts, which she organized and disbursed with commendation from the executive committee. Fundraising plans at this time included increasing membership dues and annual meeting registration fees and, importantly, attracting more members.
In an effort to attract international members, in 1973, "American" was dropped from the name of the association, and AAPPP became simply the Association of Planned Parenthood Physicians (APPP). This change was promoted at an executive committee meeting by Drs. George Langmyhr, who was the Planned Parenthood Medical Committee chair and AAPPP executive secretary at the time, as well as by Dr. Donald Minkler. In the discussion that followed, the question of whether AAPPP should be an organization for all family planning professionals, including PhD.s, or continue to be limited to physicians was raised.
By the 1970s, a particular group of health care providers had become increasingly important in family planning services--nurse practitioners, Nurse practitioners, having received specialty training, were no longer just physicians' aides; they had become frontline providers of a number of reproductive healthcare services. Although nurses had always been allowed to join the Association, they had not been given full member status. The question of whether or not to change this policy sparked heated debate within the organization. The feeling among a significant number of APPP's members at that time was that only physicians could act as leaders in the field of family planning, and the inclusion of nurses would dilute the prestige of the Association and turn it into just another health care organization. Over the years, their admittance was strongly supported by a number of executive committee members, especially Drs. Betty Connell and Louise Tyrer. By the time it became clear that the times had changed, and nurses were vital, even essential, as full members of APPP, some physician members of APPP actually resigned in protest. This would not happen, however, until 1981.
