CMA Doctors Join Members of Congress in Urging Obstetricians' Group to Change Course on Abortion Mandate

CMA Doctors Join Members of Congress in Urging Obstetricians' Group to Change Course on Abortion Mandate

Washington, DC. March 14, 2008/3mnewswire.org/ -- As the ethics committee of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) prepares to reexamine on Monday the bombshell ethics statement it dropped on pro-life physicians, the Christian Medical Association (CMA, www.cmda.org ) urged ACOG to change course and defend the conscience rights of doctors who refuse to perform or refer for abortions.

As a result of strenuous protests from pro-life physicians, organizations and members of Congress, the ACOG ethics committee is reportedly slated on Monday to revisit its November 2007 declaration that pro-life physicians must refer patients for abortion, should not express their faith-based views on ethical issues to patients, and should relocate their practices closer to abortion providers to make patient referrals more convenient.

"In the interest of fairness, the rights of life-honoring physicians should be protected as the free choice of a professional," noted CMA Senior Vice President and Obstetrician/Gynecologist Dr. Gene Rudd. "The right to refuse on moral and ethical grounds to participate in the killing of another human being is not, as ACOG has suggested, based on mere 'sentiment' but on long-standing, objective medical ethics and moral principles.

"From the Hippocratic Oath that forbids abortion to Judeo-Christian biblical injunctions against murder, physicians who refuse to perform or refer for abortions are following millennia of well-established ethical and moral principles.

"Since ACOG represents the vast majority of obstetricians and gynecologists in this country, the organization should be advocating for the decision-making rights of all of its members--not just of those who favor abortions. It's ironic that an organization that has so aggressively pushed a so-called 'pro-choice' agenda would so blatantly deny the choice of thousands of its physician members.

"Since ACOG ethical positions are formally linked to physician board certification, this anti-choice attack on conscience actually threatens the livelihoods of thousands of pro-life obstetricians and gynecologists. ACOG membership stands to drop dramatically once its pro-life members realize that their organization is actually taking steps to undermine their ability to practice. The last thing the women of this country need is for yet more obstetricians to leave the field."

Last month, CMA drafted and coordinated a letter signed by leading national pro-life organizations calling on ACOG to rescind its November statement. Members of the U.S. Congress, led by obstetrician Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-11 th GA), have also called upon ACOG to explain its controversial ethical statement

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