ACOG Applauds Defeat of Dangerous Health Care Legislation

Washington, DC—Haywood L. Brown, M.D., president of The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), released the following statement in response to the Senate’s defeat of a “skinny repeal” amendment effort:

“America averted a crisis of epic proportions last night when the U.S. Senate rejected the so called ‘skinny repeal’ bill – a vote that will hopefully press the reset button on what has been a rushed, disorganized, and uninformed attempt at crafting legislation impacting millions of Americans. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) applauds Senators who stood up for patients over cheap partisan politics. This was a battle we simply had to win since passing this bill would have been devastating to women’s health.

“Thank you to Senators Susan Collins (ME), John McCain (AZ), and Lisa Murkowski (AK), who crossed party lines and put the health and well-being of their constituents before politics, as well as the thousands of ob-gyns and patients who worked tirelessly to defeat this dangerous legislation. Because of you, landmark women's health care protections remain law and millions of women will get the care they need.

“ACOG stands ready to work with the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to put politics aside and develop a common-sense approach to reducing health care costs and improving our health care system. We will continue to oppose any effort to turn back the clock on women’s health.”

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College), a 501(c)(3) organization, is the nation’s leading group of physicians providing health care for women. As a private, voluntary, nonprofit membership organization of more than 58,000 members, The College strongly advocates for quality health care for women, maintains the highest standards of clinical practice and continuing education of its members, promotes patient education, and increases awareness among its members and the public of the changing issues facing women’s health care. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), a 501(c)(6) organization, is its companion organization. www.acog.org