Unfortunately, for the past several decades my profession has been straying from its life-affirming Hippocratic roots. Notably, activist leadership in powerful medical bodies such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) have worked to infuse pro-abortion ideology into our nation’s medical culture. Today, ACOG staunchly supports abortion, describing it as “an essential component of health care” and opposing any efforts to restrict access to it. ACOG even makes efforts to undermine the conscience rights of prolife OB-GYNs by saying doctors have a moral duty to provide “standard reproductive services” such as elective abortion, without defining what establishes those standards, and despite the fact that elective abortion is not healthcare, nor does it treat true medical emergencies. This unqualified pro-abortion advocacy does not reflect the latest scientific research, best medical practices, or the stance of most physicians (around 90% of OB-GYNs, for example, do not perform abortions in their practice). Rather, it is the result of years of lobbying on the part of a small group of leaders within ACOG. ACOG wasn’t always pro-abortion; its 1959 Manual of Standards in Obstetric-Gynecologic Practice did not permit abortions except in cases “where the death of the mother might reasonably be expected to result from natural causes, growing out of or aggravated by the pregnancy, unless the child is destroyed”, known at the time as a therapeutic abortion. But when a few leaders sought to make ACOG into an advocate for abortion on demand, they were able to successfully do so by expanding the definition of a therapeutic abortion to include cases where the woman’s health is at risk. “By returning the question of abortion’s legality to the states, the Supreme Court gave Americans the chance to pass laws that are aligned with the most recent scientific research such as the indisputable evidence that human life begins at conception, and that preborn children can feel pain as early as 10-12 weeks gestation.” Christina Francis, MD ...”Roots” from page 17 WWW.PRO.LIFE | 1 (800) 858-3040 | 919 S. MAIN ST, SNOWFLAKE, AZ 85937 18
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