Planned Parenthood Opposes Rep. Foxx Amendment Restricting Health Care Entities' Ability to Train Medical Professionals

Planned Parenthood Federation of America sharply criticized an amendment introduced by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) to H.R. 1216 which would impose a new restriction on health care entities’ ability to train medical professionals. 

“At a time when our country is focused on addressing provider shortages, increasing access to health care and advancing medical training programs, opponents of women’s health are pushing dangerous policies that could severely limit physicians’ ability to serve their patients,” said Dawn Laguens, Planned Parenthood Federation of America executive vice president of public policy and communications. “This amendment is anti-women’s health and anti-physician training and should be rejected.”

The Foxx amendment would prohibit new medical training grants under the Affordable Care Act from being used for training in the provision of abortions.  This is an unprecedented restriction that would prohibit our nation’s doctors from being trained to meet the full scope of women’s health care needs.

The Foxx amendment runs counter to the standards set forth by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the leading entity responsible for ensuring medical training programs prepare physicians for real-life medical encounters.

In fact, while federal law and ACGME standards ensure residents will not have to perform abortions if they object, ACGME standards do stipulate that abortion training should be included in medical education programs for obstetrics and gynecology.

The Foxx amendment is a clear attempt to undermine women’s ability to be served by physicians who are adequately trained to provide the full range of reproductive health services they may need.  As a result, this amendment would put women’s health in jeopardy.

Furthermore, this amendment goes beyond existing law by creating new restrictions around women’s ability to get access to information about abortion. The amendment would prohibit entities that receive the medical training grants from ensuring that their patients have access to all the information about their health care options.  Alarmingly, this provision has no protections for the patient herself.

“Once again, instead of focusing on improving access to health care, opponents of women’s health are manipulating the legislative process to undermine women’s access to and information about comprehensive reproductive health care services,” Laguens said.

Planned Parenthood calls on the House to reject this radical amendment.

Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading sexual and reproductive health care provider and advocate. We believe that everyone has the right to choose when or whether to have a child, and that every child should be wanted and loved. Planned Parenthood affiliates operate nearly 800 health centers nationwide, providing medical services and sexuality education for millions of women, men, and teenagers each year. We also work with allies worldwide to ensure that all women and men have the right and the means to meet their sexual and reproductive health care needs.