A Message from the Ob-GynPAC Governing Committee

We are in the thick of a reproductive health crisis in the United States, and since the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, the country’s already profound political divides have deepened. As members of the Ob-GynPAC Governing Committee, we want to address concerns about ACOG’s political action committee. Our priorities, including our work to restore the right of all people to access abortion care when they need it and where they need it, are varied and strategic, and they are not competing.

As the chief advisers to Ob-GynPAC, we want to emphasize that a 10-year review of PAC strategy does not reflect the current priorities of the PAC. Ob-GynPAC uses a confidential system to evaluate which candidates to support. This quantitative system evaluates candidates’ voting history on ACOG priority issues, such as maternal mortality; sustainability of practice; and, increasingly, access to reproductive health care, and measures them accordingly. Ob-GynPAC is dedicated to supporting candidates who will help actualize progress on ACOG’s policy priorities, which includes access to the comprehensive spectrum of reproductive health care, including abortion, for all people.

Our advocacy efforts must be both powerful and strategic to effect meaningful change in Washington, D.C., and at the state houses. One of the challenging realities of the highly polarized American political landscape is that collaboration across the political aisle remains critical for effective advocacy. That has never been more true than in the near 50-50 split in today’s Congress. One significant example of a priority that was a hard-won result of bipartisan support and obstetrician–gynecologist advocacy is the permanent state option to extend Medicaid coverage to 12 months postpartum. This legislative victory was years in the making and establishes a foundation for improved maternal health.

Funds are generated through voluntary contributions from eligible members, never from ACOG membership dues, and allocated by the Ob-GynPAC Governing Committee based on several factors, including each candidate’s previous actions and positions on reproductive health care.

Lives depend on our ability to fight for evidence-based approaches to improving health care and public health—including restoring access to abortion care across the United States. As members of the Ob-GynPAC Governing Committee, we are proud to help maximize ACOG’s advocacy for members and their patients.