Family Physicians Support Access to Comprehensive Reproductive Patient Care
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2021
“As the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments for the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the American Academy of Family Physicians stands firmly against any policies that unnecessarily regulate the evidence-based practice of medicine, threaten the patient-physician relationship, and inhibit the delivery of safe, timely, and comprehensive care, including reproductive health services and information.
“Patients must be able to depend on their physicians to help them make critical decisions about their personal health, including reproductive health. Laws and mandates that restrict or create undue burdens in accessing these services endanger patients and put those of us who provide medical care—or even offer evidence-based information—at great risk.
“The AAFP will continue to advocate for everyone’s right to health care and to protect family physicians, echoing our longstanding policies opposing any governmental interference in the confidential relationship between patient and physician, including those related to criminalizing medical care, reproductive decision-making, and reproductive services. To that end, the AAFP strongly urges the courts to strike down this law and similar legislation to protect physicians and their patients.”
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Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 133,500 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the largest medical society devoted solely to primary care. Family physicians conduct approximately one in five office visits -- that’s 192 million visits annually or 48 percent more than the next most visited medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America’s underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care. To learn more about the specialty of family medicine, the AAFP's positions on issues and clinical care, and for downloadable multi-media highlighting family medicine, visit www.aafp.org/media. For information about health care, health conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s award-winning consumer website, www.familydoctor.org.