THE VFA PIONEER HISTORIES PROJECT

Judy Widdicombe

May 6, 1938 – November 3, 2011

“We will not allow the anti-abortion terrorists to eliminate the free choice of women who want a legal option.”

Trained as a labor and delivery nurse, and after taking one too many suicide hotline calls from women in crisis, Judy helped form Clergy Consultation Service to assist women with crisis pregnancies. In 1973, immediately after Roe v. Wade was decided, Judy opened Reproductive Health Services (RHS), a non-profit abortion provider committed to offering all women full options for counseling and abortion services on a sliding scale. In 1990, Judy’s ‘full options’ dream was finally realized when RHS formed Adoption Associates; she fostered “Adam,” the first newborn to come through the agency. After retiring from RHS, Judy advocated for reproductive health, maternal and child health services and then returned to nursing as a hospice nurse.