On Fourth Dobbs Anniversary, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher, Congresswoman Kelly Morrison, Congresswoman Kim Schrier, and Congressman Ami Bera Introduce Bill To Close Abortion[...]

Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Congresswoman Kelly Morrison (MN-03), Congresswoman Kim Schrier (WA-08), and Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-06) introduced the Safeguarding Access to Full-spectrum Education and (SAFE) Training for OBGYNs Act. The SAFE Training for OBGYNs Act establishes a grant program to provide funding for OB/GYN residency programs that train residents residing in states with abortion bans to ensure full competency in reproductive healthcare during their training. The introduction comes on the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and enabled states across the country to ban or restrict abortion and interfere with women's ability to travel out of state for reproductive healthcare.

"In states like Texas where abortion is banned, OB/GYN residents cannot get the full training they need to care for their patients-and women across the country are paying the price," said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. "Restricted access to training is already driving a shortage of providers, making reproductive care harder to access even in states without bans. The SAFE Training for OB/GYNs Act gives residency programs the resources to train future OB/GYNs in the full range of reproductive healthcare their patients need and deserve. I am glad to join Congresswoman Morrison and Congressman Bera in this effort."

"Every OB-GYN in the country should be trained in every aspect of obstetric and gynecological care," said Congresswoman Kelly Morrison. "As the only pro-choice OB-GYN in Congress, I know how important it is for OB-GYNs to receive hands-on experience in providing abortion care. An abortion ban in even one state affects access to safe health care across the country. If doctors can't receive proper training, lives will inevitably be put at risk. This bill will make it safer and easier for women to get the care they need, and will ensure that future generations of doctors are able to care for all of their patients."

"As a doctor, I know that a strong healthcare workforce starts with strong medical training," said Congressman Ami Bera. "Since the Dobbs decision, abortion bans have made it harder for OB-GYN residents to receive the full reproductive health training required as part of their education. In many cases, these future physicians are being forced to travel to another state to gain the experience they need to provide comprehensive care to their patients. The SAFE Training for OB-GYNs Act helps ensure residents can complete that training by supporting graduate medical residency programs and covering the travel costs associated with it."

If enacted, the SAFE Training for OB/GYNs Act would establish a program to create grants for out-of-state OB/GYN residency programs in states where abortion is legal to:

• Ensure comprehensive education for residents studying or working in states where abortion is limited or banned; and
• Prepare and encourage OB/GYN residents training to serve as abortion providers after completing such training.

The SAFE Training for OB/GYNs Act is drafted in cooperation by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and Planned Parenthood. The ACLU, Center for Reproductive Rights, National Women's Law Center, and Physicians for Reproductive Health have endorsed the bill.

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher is Vice Chair and Whip of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus and has led several efforts to protect access to abortion. After a Texas Judge banned abortion medication across the country, she introduced the Protecting Reproductive Freedom Act, H.R. 2573, with Congressman Pat Ryan (NY-18) to reaffirm that the abortion pill was appropriately approved by the FDA and reintroduced the bill this year.

She is the lead House sponsor of a bill to protect the right to travel between states to obtain an abortion, the Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, H.R. 782, which passed the House , and which she reintroduced last year. Congresswoman Fletcher was an original cosponsor of the Women's Health Protection Act, H.R. 12, which establishes a statutory federal right to abortion free from medically unnecessary restrictions.