ABOG Supports OB GYNs and Reproductive Health Rights

September 3, 2021

Texas Senate Bill 8, which took effect September 1, 2021, bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected and allows for civil litigation against providers or anyone else who helps a pregnant individual obtain an abortion. The law will limit the provision of safe and legal abortion services across Texas and force people to seek these services in other states. As a result, this law will disproportionately affect minority, lower income, and vulnerable populations. The law also does not allow for exceptions in the case of rape or incest.

ABOG is a non-profit organization whose role is to administer certification programs to obstetricians and gynecologists (OB GYNs) across the United States who voluntarily seek to become board-certified.  ABOG supports the important health care role that OB GYNs play in the comprehensive care and treatment of their patients. A critical aspect of the specialty of OB GYN and patient care includes the medical knowledge, skills, and judgment relative to reproductive health rights, including access to contraception as well as to safe and legal pregnancy termination.

Access to safe and legal pregnancy termination is essential to reproductive health, and it has been a legal right in the United States for the past 48 years after the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade.  ABOG’s mission is to define the standards, certify OB GYNs, and facilitate continuous learning to advance knowledge, practice, and professionalism in women's health. Our commitment to these principles is firm and unwavering in support of OB GYNs who wish to provide comprehensive reproductive health care to the patients and families they serve. Patients place their trust in the sanctity of the patient-physician relationship, and they must have confidence that their OB GYNs can provide the evidence-based counseling and care that they need without intimidation, retribution, or litigation.

###