FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 6, 2022
“The American Academy of Family Physicians stands firmly against any policies that unnecessarily regulate the evidence-based practice of medicine, criminalize physicians and medical care, threaten the patient-physician relationship, and inhibit the delivery of safe, timely, and comprehensive care, including reproductive health services and information and gender-affirming care.
“Patients must be able to depend on their physicians to help them make critical decisions about their personal 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. This echoes our longstanding policies opposing any governmental interference in the confidential relationship between patient and physician, including those related to criminalizing medical care. To that end, the AAFP strongly urges state and federal legislators and courts to strike down any laws that jeopardize care to protect physicians and their patients.
“Physicians must be able to practice medicine that is informed by their years of medical education, training, experience, and the available evidence, freely and without threat of punishment, harassment, or retribution. Our patients, not policymakers, must make their own medical decisions.”
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About the American Academy of Family Physicians
The AAFP is the largest national association of family physicians, representing 128,300 physicians and medical students. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on impactful care for people of all ages, races and genders across all medical conditions. The AAFP supports every stage of a family physician's career and provides evidence-based resources, advocacy and community to empower family medicine. To learn more, visit aafp.org. For information about health care, medical conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s patient education website, familydoctor.org.