FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Doctors for America
PO Box 53313
1921 Florida Ave NW
Washington, DC 20009-9997
June 23, 2023
A Day of Action & Solidarity One Year After Dobbs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Doctors for America (DFA), the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA), and the Reproductive Health Coalition “Stand in Solidarity” for Reproductive Rights on the One Year Anniversary of the Dobbs Decision on June 24, 2022, that caused an unprecedented crisis in abortion rights and access across the U.S.
June 24, 2023 is the one-year anniversary of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, eliminating the constitutional right to abortion. Over the past year, we have seen increasing restrictions to abortion access at the hands of state legislatures and judges at the state and federal level, resulting in incalculable harm to the women and people of this country. We have seen this entirely predictable crisis unfolding all over the country. Not only are individual patients suffering gravely, but health care providers are facing moral injury and criminal prosecution. Doctors are leaving states where they are forbidden, by law, to practice evidence-based healthcare, and the suffering of the patients in those states is magnified as this crisis deepens.
To observe the one year mark of this assault upon reproductive autonomy and health care, which continues to worsen this country’s maternal morbidity and mortality crisis, Doctors for America, the American Medical Women’s Association and the Reproductive Health Coalition will stand in solidarity with other groups to affirm, with one voice, that abortion is essential health care. Decisions regarding abortion must be made by patients in partnership with their trusted health care practitioners, without interference of legislators, politicians or judges.
“We must unite to stop politics from intruding into our exam rooms, all people need unimpeded access to health care.” – Dr. Elizabeth Garner, Board President, American Medical Women’s Association.
“On this day of observance, let us come together and commit to reversing the harmful laws and stigma that malign abortion and return it to where it should have always been: abortion is an essential component of the comprehensive spectrum of reproductive health care.” – Dr. Meghana Rao, Board President, Doctors for America.
On June 24, 2023 and going forward, our organizations will work to help usher in a new era where health professionals can continue to practice evidence-based medicine and offer patients the full spectrum of reproductive care. One-size-fits-all laws have no place in health decisions, and politicians should not stand in the way of people getting the care they need.
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About Doctors for America:
Doctors for America mobilizes doctors and medical students to be leaders in putting patients over politics to improve the health of our patients, communities, and nation. We are 27,000 physicians and medical students in all 50 states, representing all areas of specialization. Our impact areas focus on access to affordable care, community health and prevention, and health justice and equity. DFA focuses solely on what is best for our patients, not on the business side of medicine, and does not accept any funding from pharmaceutical or medical device companies. This uniquely positions DFA as the organization that puts patients over politics and patients over profits. Find out more at doctorsforamerica.org and on Twitter @drsforamerica.
About the American Medical Women’s Association
The American Medical Women’s Association is an organization that works to advance women in medicine, advocate for equity, and ensure excellence in healthcare. AMWA has been a long-time champion of reproductive health and access as well as women’s health and sex and gender specific healthcare. Our members represent physicians, trainees, healthcare professionals, and supporters across all sectors of healthcare.
About the Reproductive Health Coalition
The Reproductive Health Coalition (RHC) is a wide-range of health professional associations and allied organizations that advocate with a unified voice to protect access to essential reproductive care. The tenets of this work include a patient’s right to dignity, autonomy, privacy, and the expectation of a trusted relationship with their clinician; protection of the clinician’s ethical obligation to provide care, including their access to comprehensive training; and a commitment to an evidence-based approach to policy and practice. Over 40 organizations participate in the RHC, collectively representing more than 150 million members. The RHC was founded by the executive directors of Doctors for America and the American Medical Women’s Association. Click here for more information.