ACOG calls on White House to reject proposed federal abortion ban
ACOG CEO Maureen G. Phipps, MD, MPH, FACOG, wrote a letter addressed to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in opposition to a recently proposed 15-week abortion ban.
The proposed legislation was introduced by Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina on Sept. 13, who aims to prohibit abortions after 15 weeks’ gestation “when an unborn child can feel pain,” according to a press release on Graham’s website. The law would put the United States in line with most European nations that prohibit abortion beyond 15 weeks’ gestation, the release said.
“This arbitrary gestational age limit is not grounded in science and medical evidence and would dramatically interfere with the ability of patients to receive timely medical care, including prenatal care, miscarriage management and abortion care,” Phipps wrote on behalf of ACOG.
In the letter, Phipps called on the White House to “resolutely and definitively” reject federal abortion bans such as the one proposed by Graham, as patients have already experienced delays and denials of medical care in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
“As bans continue to take effect in states across the country, we are increasingly hearing from our members about the heartbreaking realities of closing clinics and turning patients away from needed care, and of delays in care due to lack of clarity in laws,” Phipps wrote. “We fear that these bans will have deadly consequences, further exacerbating the worsening maternal mortality crisis, within which 80% of deaths are preventable.”
References:
- Graham introduces legislation to protect unborn children, bring U.S. abortion policy in line with other developed nations. https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=8F99177C-2BD3-44CA-9D7F-E86AA1A25BF9. Published Sept. 13, 2022. Accessed Sept. 22, 2022.
- Phipps MG. “Re: Grave concerns about the negative impact of a nationwide abortion ban on patients and physicians.” Sept. 22, 2022.