A group of nearly 7,000 medical professionals is taking on the leftist and establishment media push to spread medical misinformation about abortion after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) is forming a network to provide factual medical information to medical professionals after a concerted effort from pro-abortion activists to obscure the truth about maternal medical care.
In a six-page list of abortion “myths,” the group cites attempts from organizations like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association — as well as their media proxies such as NPR, Reuters, the New York Times, and CBS — to distort the reality of maternal medical care and then debunks the distortions.
While the pro-abortion activists in the media claim that “unrestricted abortion access is necessary for providing life-saving care for pregnant women,” AAPLOG says, “Elective abortion is not lifesaving medical care,” and continues to say that doctors are capable of ending a pregnancy while respecting the life of both patients — mother and child.
Quoting the Dublin Declaration, the organization maintains, “As experienced practitioners and researchers in Obstetrics and Gynecology, we affirm that direct abortion is not medically necessary to save the life of a woman.”
“We uphold that there is a fundamental difference between abortion and necessary medical treatments that are carried out to save the life of the mother, even if such treatments results in the loss of life of her unborn child,” the declaration continues. “We confirm that the prohibition of abortion does not affect, in any way, the availability of optimal care to pregnant women.”
In other words, the deliberate killing of a child — an abortion — is not necessary to save the life of a mother going through complications from pregnancy even if the child loses their life in the process of receiving life-saving medical care. Furthermore, AAPLOG says that “OB/GYNs are trained to discern when they need to intervene to save a mother’s life” and “any competent OB/GYN physician is trained to make this determination well before the threat to the mother’s life progresses to the point where death is imminent.”
“The spreading of medical misinformation, not only by the media, but also by mainstream medical groups, is not only counterproductive for states who are trying to pass laws that will protect their citizens, but also actively endangers the healthcare of women,” AAPLOG CEO-elect Christina Francis, M.C., said in a statement. “If women have a false impression that they cannot receive life-saving medical care near them, timely diagnosis and treatment will be delayed, which will lead to worse outcomes.”
After the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned Roe, many media outlets, medical associations, and politicians peddled the lie that abortion restrictions would make receiving medical care for ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages illegal — often times declaring that “people will die.”
As AAPLOG points out, not only is medical care for miscarriages not prohibited by abortion restrictions, the glaring difference between an abortion and care for a miscarriage is that in a miscarriage, the baby has already died and therefore care is not an abortion. An abortion, on the other hand, is the deliberate killing of a baby.
With regard to ectopic pregnancies, treatment is also not restricted by any abortion law, and procedures to care for women with such complications are in and of themselves life-saving.
“This life-saving treatment is not prevented by any current law restricting or banning abortion,” the group says. “Claiming that it is only serves to confuse women and potentially cause critical delays in care.”
Following along the left-wing “people will die” narrative, many in the media also claim that maternal mortality rates will increase after the overturning of Roe. In fact, one NBC News article is titled, “‘No question’ that U.S. maternal mortality rate will rise post-Roe, experts say.”
The Guardian also dutifully presented their headline, “‘A matter of life and death’: maternal mortality rate will rise
without Roe, experts warn.”
And while the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists maintains that “allowing states to set individual restrictive abortion policies…will force many people to face the known risks associated with continuing a pregnancy, including potential pregnancy-related complications and worsening of existing health conditions, as well as the morbidity and mortality associated with childbirth,” AAPLOG debunks that “myth” as well.
“The data clearly shows that restricting abortion does not lead to an increase in maternal mortality,” the group says, citing the already-poor maternal mortality rate the U.S. has. “The U.S. has had nearly unfettered access to abortion for nearly 50 years, while maintaining one of the worst maternal mortality rates and preterm birth rates in the developed world.”
The group also cites studies suggesting that greater abortion access is associated with higher maternal mortality rates.
AAPLOG also debunks common myths pushed by pro-abortion groups such as arguing that getting an abortion does not have a long-term impact on reproductive health and that chemical abortion drugs are a “safe and convenient” option for women.
“It is time for those of us within the medical profession to stand up for fully informed consent and accurate information for our patients,” Francis said.
Breccan F. Thies is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @BreccanFThies.