In July, a pro-life group of obstetricians and gynecologists released poll results detailing Americans’ opinions on the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade and their views on abortion procedures at different stages of pregnancy. The poll findings showed how Americans’ views changed on abortion when they learned more about what the procedure entails.
And, after Roe fell, as Townhall has covered, pro-abortion supporters have said that life-saving procedures for ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages would be impacted if abortion is outlawed. America's largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, removed information on ectopic pregnancies from its website, likely because it was inconvenient for their narrative.
The same group of pro-life OB-GYNs who conducted the poll launched a campaign this week to combat the spread of misinformation surrounding abortion. This week, the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) announced that it will equipping its membership of nearly 7,000 medical professionals with evidence-based, peer-reviewed information and resources to engage in the post-Dobbs abortion debate ahead of the midterm elections.
A new Myth v. Fact memo released from AAPLOG this week debunks claims from major media outlets on abortion. These claims span from the narrative that abortion is “life-saving care” to “maternal mortality will increase as a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling.”
“93% of practicing OB/GYNs do not perform elective abortions but have always been able to offer life-saving treatment to women and will continue to be able to do so regardless of state laws on abortion,” the memo reads. “When medically necessary to treat a life-threatening medical condition for the mother, doctors can end the pregnancy in a way that respects both patients’ lives. This is vastly different from elective abortion, which intentionally ends the life of a human being.”
“Despite what the rhetoric and political posturing may be from abortion advocates, OB/GYNs are trained to discern when they need to intervene to save a mother’s life,” it adds. “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.”
Dr. Christina Francis, CEO-Elect of AAPLOG who currently works in Fort Wayne, Indiana as an OB/GYN Hospitalist, told Townhall that the media’s spread of abortion misinformation in the aftermath of Dobbs is counterproductive for states that are trying to enact legislation protecting the unborn.
“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,” Francis told Townhall. “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. It is time for those of us within the medical profession to stand up for fully informed consent and accurate information for our patients.”
Spencer covered last month how Planned Parenthood omitted information from its website describing the difference between an ectopic pregnancy and an abortion, noting that the two procedures are not the same:
“Treating an ectopic pregnancy isn’t the same thing as getting an abortion. Abortion is a medical procedure that when done safely, ends a pregnancy that’s in your uterus. Ectopic pregnancies are unsafely outside of your uterus (usually in the fallopian tubes), and are removed with a medicine called methotrexate or through a laparoscopic surgical procedure. The medical procedures for abortions are not the same as the medical procedures for an ectopic pregnancy.”
As Spencer noted in his report, in 2015, Planned Parenthood also removed the name of its founder — eugenicist (and noted racist) Margaret Sanger — from its activities and history.
