ACOG Statement on Supreme Court Oral Arguments for June Medical Services LLC v. Russo

Washington, DC—Maureen Phipps, MD, MPH, FACOG, CEO of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), released the following statement regarding today's arguments in June Medical Services LLC v. Russo:

"As women's health physicians, we are committed to ensuring safe care for women. We fundamentally believe that in order to keep abortion safe, we must keep it both legal and accessible. Without question, allowing state governments to impose restrictions that are not medically necessary will only make it harder for women to access the safe abortion care that they need.

"Barriers to care established under the guise of concerns about patient safety are bad medicine. Women in need of abortion should not be forced to burden themselves and their families in order to get the health care that is right for them. Other needed forms of health care are not subject to these unfounded restrictions and attacks.

“Laws requiring physicians who provide abortions to have hospital admitting privileges are not medically justified. Laws regulating abortion should be evidence-based and supported by a valid medical justification. This law is neither. We want the Supreme Court to understand there is no medical reason for this restriction and there is no patient safety benefit to this law.

"The House of Medicine made it clear in our amicus brief that abortion is already a safe procedure, that the restrictions at the heart of this case will not make it safer, and that the restrictions are actually harmful to women in Louisiana.

“We hope that members of the court will give preference to our medical opinion when making their deliberations. The health of millions of women is at stake."

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