ICYMI: American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) Forcing OBGYNs to Texas for Certifying Exams Amid Escalating Anti-Choice Violence
OBGYNs seeking board certification fear violence, harassment, and even prosecution as ABOG holds certifying exams in Texas
DALLAS — As anti-choice violence surges following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ABOG), which certifies OBGYNs across the country, is forcing doctors seeking board certification to complete their exams in one of the most dangerous states for OBGYNs: Texas.
According to new reporting from Jessica Valenti, OBGYNs across the country recently received notice from ABOG that they are expected to complete their certifying exams in Texas, where abortion is banned without exception for rape or incest, and private citizens can sue providers and anyone who assists patients seeking an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. For OBGYNs like Dr. Joseph Ottolenghi, who practices in New York City and provides abortion care, traveling to Texas for board certification could mean risking arrest or worse.
While ABOG says abortion providers traveling to Texas from out of state “should not be at legal risk,” many remain unconvinced, particularly as anti-choice officials in the state, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, signal their intent to prosecute providers and patients, even going so far as to pressure the Biden administration for access to medical records of those who get out-of-state abortions.
Hostile abortion laws drive providers out of communities in need, exacerbate the OBGYN shortage, and undermine access to health care. In Texas, researchers estimate that since the state's abortion ban went into effect in September 2021, nearly 10,000 additional infants were born between April and December 2022. This significant increase in live births poses a unique problem as physicians are driven out of the state by anti-abortion lawmakers. The added stress on labor and delivery resources across Texas has real implications for patients who deserve better.
And, of course, it’s not just Texas where OBGYN's feel threatened — in Wisconsin, where the legitimacy of an 1849 law criminalizing abortion is being litigated, some OBGYNs are fearful that simply practicing medicine as they were trained could land them in legal trouble. Some have even been forced to cross into Minnesota to continue working, as anti-choice lawmakers and activists continue targeting patients and providers.OBGYNs and abortion providers are already facing enormous obstacles to providing care to patients in need, and institutional support from organizations like the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology is more important than ever.
You can read Jessica Valenti's piece on ABOG's certification exams in Texas here.
If you are interested in connecting with someone experiencing professional challenges at the hands of anti-abortion lawmakers, I am happy to put you in touch with Rohini Kousalya Siva, MD MPH MS, the President of the American Medical Students Association. Rohini is a fourth year medical student who plans to practice obstetrics and gynecology and is preparing to apply to residency programs, but finds her options limited by restrictive abortion policy in states across the country. Like many young professionals, Rohini is disappointed that the career she has worked so hard for is already being undermined by anti-choice lawmakers.
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