AMA House of Delegates Adopts New Reproductive Healthcare Policies

November 21, 2022 - As healthcare professionals, patients, and public health experts continue to navigate the reproductive healthcare space in a post-Dobbs world, many have run into challenges. The American Medical Association has echoed the pleas of many other healthcare organizations to provide equitable access to reproductive healthcare. In a recent meeting, the AMA House of Delegates announced that it would adopt new reproductive health policies to further advocate for expanded abortion care and decriminalize pregnancy loss due to necessary medical procedures.

“Since the Dobbs decision, healthcare in the United States has been thrown into chaos, with life-or-death decisions deferred to hospital lawyers, patients needing care driven across state lines, and uncertainty over the future of access to reproductive health care,” said AMA President Jack Resneck Jr., MD in the press release.

The first policy includes opposing criminalization for pregnancy loss resulting from medically necessary care. In some states, confusion and hesitancy around abortion care have restricted access to abortions as many fear legal repercussions. This has left many at risk of death in cases where an abortion is necessary to save the mother’s life. The policy adopted by the AMA states that neither the patient nor the provider should be liable in cases where pregnancy loss is due to medically necessary care.

In addition, the AMA highlighted ethical guidance on abortion bans. The organization emphasized that the government should not intrude on patient–provider relationships.

“Caught between good medicine and bad law, physicians struggle to meet their ethical duties to patients’ health and well-being while attempting to comply with reckless government interference in the practice of medicine that is dangerous to the health of our patients,” Resneck said in the press announcement. “Under extraordinary circumstances, the ethical guidelines of the profession support physician conduct that sides with their patient’s safety and health, acknowledging that this may conflict with legal constraints that limit access to abortion or reproductive care.”

Additional organizational policies included supporting expanded access to abortion care. The AMA and its members call on government officials to protect physicians who provide abortions. The organization continues to emphasize that reproductive care is healthcare.

Finally, the AMA is working to preserve access to abortion training for medical students, residents, and other medical professionals. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires that any OBGYN resident have access to abortion care. Despite that requirement, nearly half of all OBGYN residency programs are in states that have or are anticipated to have an abortion ban. With that in mind, the AMA continues to advocate for access to abortion education. The organization has stated that it will support students, residents, and fellows to travel for training on abortion care if their program is in a location that restricts it.

“The AMA is steadfastly opposed to governmental interference in the practice of medicine, especially for well-established, medically necessary treatments. Patients and physicians need assurances that they won’t be accused of crimes for medically necessary treatment. Unfortunately, this is the post-Dobbs world we now face. The fact that medically necessary treatment can be criminalized speaks volumes about these misguided abortion laws. Physicians and other healthcare professionals must attempt to comply with vague, restrictive, complex, and conflicting state laws that interfere with the practice of medicine. These new policies will help the AMA to continue our advocacy and defend physicians in legislatures and the courts,” stated Resneck.