Restrictions on reproductive health services such as abortion and contraception are a “violation of human rights,” the largest U.S. medical association said ahead of a widely anticipated Supreme Court ruling expected to overturn the precedent of Roe v. Wade.
A new policy from the American Medical Association, adopted June 14, will “seek expanded legal protections for patients and physicians against government systems of control and punishment that criminalize reproductive health services.” The AMA will also continue to challenge criminal or civil penalties on patients and other health professionals who aid and assist in reproductive health services, the organization announced.
“A growing number of current and pending laws insert government into the patient-physician relationship by dictating limits or bans on reproductive health services and criminally punish or penalize patients for their health decisions,” said incoming President Jack Resneck. “The new policy also calls for AMA to seek legal protections for patients who cross state lines to receive reproductive health services, as well as legal protections for physicians and others who support or provide reproductive health services or referrals to patients who cross state lines.”
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A draft opinion leaked on May 2 signaled the majority of Supreme Court justices are poised to give states the right to make laws severely limiting abortion access. The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling, expected to overturn the Roe precedent, will likely be one of the last decisions announced before the high court’s recess in July.
AMA, along with dozens of other leading medical organizations, filed an amicus brief in Dobbs, stating that abortion is a safe medical procedure and a decision to be made between the patient and the physician.
Several states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Idaho, and Mississippi, have already enacted strict abortion bans in anticipation of the high court’s ruling.
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AMA has not yet responded to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
