ACOG PAC Donated Over $1M to Anti-Abortion Legislators

Anti-abortion politicians have obtained greater than $1 million in funding from the political motion committee (PAC) of the American School of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), researchers discovered.

The premier skilled group for ob/gyns within the U.S with greater than 60,000 members, ACOG runs Ob-GynPACwhich gave over $3.3 million to federal legislators in response to publicly obtainable information from the Federal Election Fee spanning January 1, 2012 to June 30, 2022, reported Benjamin Brown, MD, MS, of the Alpert Medical College of Brown College in Windfall, Rhode Island, and colleagues.

Over $1.2 million of this cash went to supporting anti-abortion candidates. Of the 294 politicians who obtained help kind Ob-GynPAC, 116 had been anti-abortion and 70 of these had been additionally anti-Roe. Over 60% had been pro-abortion entry, in response to a analysis letter by Brown’s group in JAMA Network Open.

“Since (ACOG) constantly states that abortion is important healthcare in its scientific steerage and public statements, we wished to see whether or not the cash spent by ACOG’s political motion committee was going to legislators who share this elementary coverage precedence,” Brown instructed MedPage Right this moment.

“ACOG has constantly affirmed that abortion is important for many years,” Brown mentioned. “Nevertheless, as we conclude within the paper, the truth that ACOG has spent over $1.25 million on anti-abortion entry legislators within the final decade means that ACOG’s political donations could also be undermining its said dedication to abortion entry and affected person autonomy.”

Final summer season, the Supreme Court overruled the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade determination establishing the precise to abortion. Since then, giant swaths of individuals — together with pregnant individuals and medical trainees — have been affected as states limit access to abortion and contraceptive care.

Brown mentioned that on this post-Roe world, it is important for healthcare staff and associations to advocate for affected person care — together with abortion: “I hope our paper will assist to spark a renewed dialog about how skilled organizations get up for our sufferers — inside ACOG, inside the area of ob/gyn, and inside healthcare writ giant.”

Brown and colleagues mentioned that their “serial cross-sectional research revealed no substantial proof that an Ob-GynPAC donation was related to a shift from an anti-abortion entry place to a pro-abortion entry place.” Within the decade-long research interval, solely 5 legislators modified their place on abortion and just one made the change from anti- to pro-abortion entry.

“After all, abortion will not be the one problem of significance to obstetricians and gynecologists. For instance, Medicaid enlargement and defending analysis funding are additionally key legislative priorities for ACOG. Nevertheless, our information point out that ACOG could also be undermining its said dedication to abortion entry and affected person autonomy by supporting legislators whose agendas run opposite to the priorities of ACOG,” they wrote.

In an emailed assertion to MedPage Right this momentACOG wrote that the Ob-GynPAC works throughout political celebration strains.

“Ob-GynPAC is bipartisan and helps candidates who share our priorities on subjects which might be very important to obstetrician–gynecologists and their sufferers. Key priorities embrace bettering maternal well being, defending the affected person–doctor relationship, making certain entry to well being care and making a extra sustainable apply setting for our members,” the ACOG assertion mentioned.

“We assist legislators from each events perceive the problems which might be vital to our members and emphasize and make clear why they need to help insurance policies that guarantee entry to the total spectrum of reproductive well being care, together with abortion,” ACOG continued.