By Rebecca Weaver
Once again, the U.S. House of Representatives FY27 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LaborHHS) appropriations bill includes language to protect the conscience rights of medical residents by restoring abortion training to an opt-in system. (Appropriations is part of the federal government’s budgeting process in which money is set aside by formal legislative action for a specific use.) [CF1] AAPLOG Action applauds the inclusion of this critical language and is grateful to the House Appropriations Committee for retaining this language, especially in the face of attempts to strip it from the bill.
The House bill language would prohibit federal funding from going to training programs that require abortion training without a resident’s voluntary opting into it, or discriminating against a resident for choosing not to participate in such training. Despite what abortion advocates have claimed, this change would not eliminate abortion training. Nor does it reduce the quality of OB/GYN education. Residents would continue to receive comprehensive training in miscarriage management, ectopic pregnancy treatment, uterine evacuation procedures, and emergency obstetrical care. The only change is that participation in induced abortion training would require an affirmative choice by the resident.
This was the status quo in medical training until recently. In 2018, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) shifted OB/GYN residency abortion training from an opt-in to an opt-out model. Under the current framework, residents are automatically enrolled in abortion training and must request exemption from supervising physicians and program leaders. This creates unnecessary pressure on residents who have objections to participating in induced abortions, disincentivizing medical students from pursuing obstetrics.
The language from this FY27 is the same language included in the past two year’s House appropriation bills, President Trump’s FY27 budget request, and The Conscience Protections for Medical Residents Act (H.R.6219 / S.3238). This commonsense policy protects conscience rights, promotes compliance with federal law, and helps ensure that talented medical students are not discouraged from pursuing careers in obstetrics and gynecology.
This is a winning political issue. In fact, 63% of Americans do not think healthcare professionals who have religious objections to abortion should be required to perform them.[i]
AAPLOG Action will continue working through the appropriations process and other avenues until abortion training is returned to an opt-in system that respects the conscience rights of future physicians.
You can find more resources on this policy priority on the One Pagers tab.
Rebecca Weaver is the Director of Advocacy and Policy for AAPLOG and AAPLOG Action.
[i] https://www.kofc.org/resources/news/press-releases/polls/marist-poll-a-consistent-consensus-supports-legal-limits-on-abortion22/
