ACOG Applauds Nationwide Injunction on Contraception Regulations

Washington, D.C. — Lisa Hollier, M.D., M.P.H., president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, issued the following statement regarding the Trump-Pence administration’s Religious Exemptions and Accommodations for Coverage of Certain Preventive Services Under the Affordable Care Act and the Moral Exemptions and Accommodations for Coverage of Certain Preventive Services Under the Affordable Care Act:

“Access to contraception is an essential component of women’s health care. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) applauds the two federal court decisions that enjoined the implementation of the Trump-Pence regulations that would prevent many women from accessing contraception. ACOG is especially relieved that the Pennsylvania court issued a nationwide injunction, protecting all women throughout the country who would have been negatively impacted by the regulations.

“The Trump-Pence regulations threaten the health of women and families throughout the United States, undermine established law under which comprehensive preventive women’s health care has been widely accessible and disrupt the patient-physician relationship. The California and Pennsylvania courts recognized this harm and understood that contraception is important preventive health care. ACOG, along with other medical societies, submitted amicus briefs in both cases, explaining the very real harms to women and the public health.

“As the nation’s largest professional organization for women’s health care physicians, ACOG recognizes contraception as an integral component of women’s health care and opposes any policy that seeks to restrict or eliminate women’s meaningful access to the full range of contraceptive methods.

“ACOG’s message is simple and consistent: Don’t turn back the clock on women’s health.”

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) 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, ACOG 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. www.acog.org