The AAFP National Conference of Special Constituencies voted recently to send the AAFP Congress of Delegates four resolutions, three of them dealing with gender identity. The constituencies -- representing new physicians; women physicians; minority physicians; physicians interested in gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues; and international medical graduates -- voted for the four resolutions in a joint session at the end of their May 5 - 7 meeting here.
The fourth resolution addresses the issue of whether pharmacists have a right to refuse to fill prescriptions; for more information, visit "Allow Pharmacists' Conscientious Objections but Preserve Patient-Physician Relationship, Say Board, NCSC."
The three gender identity resolutions pertain to AAFP antidiscrimination policies. The first resolution adds gender identity to the Academy policy opposing discrimination (for reasons such as race, religion, gender and disability) in evaluating members of the AAFP and its constituent chapters. A reference committee report said testimony to the committee "indicated that transgendered physicians are at risk for discrimination."
In the second resolution, the NCSC suggested additions including gender identity to the policy opposing discrimination in student and resident education. The third resolution addresses the policy saying FPs should not discriminate against patients. The third resolution would add the words actual or perceived and gender identity, so the policy would say (in part), "family physicians should not discriminate against patients on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnic affiliation, health or economic status, body habitus or national origin."
Other NCSC resolutions -- 57 of them -- will go to the AAFP Board of Directors, which may refer the resolutions to commissions or committees. AAFP News Now will cover some of the other resolutions in a later story.
Note: AAFP constituent chapters each year sponsor most of the NCSC participants.
