According to the Washington Post, medical schools in states that have chosen to restrict abortion are considering “contingency plans” in order to continue training obstetrics and gynecology students to commit abortions.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), which sets standards for residency and fellowship programs, has historically required such training to be provided by medical schools in order for them to achieve accreditation. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Council has proposed to maintain this requirement, with slight modifications: programs in states that restrict abortions would be required to “provide access to [abortion training] in a jurisdiction where no such legal restriction is present[.]”
This would mandate that obstetrics and gynecology students travel to pro-abortion states for training. In situations wherein students are not able to travel, programs would be required to provide “didactic activities, including simulation[.]” Programs that don’t meet these requirements risk citation for noncompliance.
Those with conscience objections would still be allowed to opt-out.
READ: California to offer incentives for medical students to become abortionists
Dr. Christina Francis of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) called the ACGME’s position “extreme”, telling the Washington Post, “Their call for ‘workarounds,’ I would say, is suspect. And it needs to be looked at very closely.” She stated that clinical experience in committing abortions is unnecessary for OB/GYN competency, and predicted that residents and legislators in pro-life states will object to efforts to fund abortion training in pro-abortion states.
Dr. Jennifer Kerns, an associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) said, “We’ve always hosted visiting trainees from other sites.” She added that she and her colleagues in medical academia are “committed” to abortion training. “We will just totally double down on it and try to accommodate trainees from other programs.”
The proposed changes will be voted on in September.
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