Photos: Merle Hoffman’s 50-Year Fight for Reproductive Healthcare

Joan Roth
January 31, 2022

Merle Hoffman is a pioneer of reproductive healthcare access. In 1971, she co-founded the Flushing Women’s Medical Center (now Choices Women’s Medical Center) in Queens, NY. Governed by the principle of “patient power,” the clinic was the first of its kind to offer abortions, two years before the passage of Roe v. Wade. Through her work at Choices, her writing and her activism, Hoffman continues to advocate for access to reproductive healthcare and information for all people who need it, in the U.S. and abroad.

This year, Choices celebrates its 50th anniversary, and with abortion access once again under attack, it is the perfect time to follow Hoffman’s lead and rededicate ourselves to this fight for justice.

Photos by Joan Roth.

Reproductive healthcare workers join protesters in front of Choices Women’s Medical Center
Photo by Joan Roth
Merle Hoffman visits protesters in front of Choices Women’s Medical Center
Photo by Joan Roth
Merle Hoffman and protesters rally in front of Choices Women’s Medical Center
Photo by Joan Roth
Anti-choice protester holds up Christian religious paraphernalia across the street from Choices Women’s Medical Center
Photo by Joan Roth
Anti-choice protesters rally across the street from Choices Women’s Medical Center
Photo by Joan Roth

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