New Bill Funds Abortion Training in Banned States

What's the story?

• Following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion in June 2022, several states have banned abortion training for obstetrician-gynecologists. 
• To be licensed, aspiring OB-GYNs need to learn to perform the procedure and prescribe abortion medications. However, after the Supreme Court revoked Roe v. Wade, countless medical schools could stop providing this training to practitioners.

The Reproductive Health Care Training Act

• In response, Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, introduced the Reproductive Health Care Training Act.
• The act establishes a grant program to provide $25 million yearly for the next five years to fund medical students who need to leave their state of residence to learn abortion care. The funding will also support eligible programs accepting an influx of out-of-state students.
• The legislation will also prepare and encourage students to serve as abortion providers after completing their training.
• Rep. Mark Pocan said of the bill:

"In states like Wisconsin with an abortion ban as a result of the Dobbs decision, not only can patients not get abortion care, medical students are prevented from learning the skills they need. The Reproductive Health Care Training Act is crucial legislation that ensures medical students gain all necessary clinical skills no matter where they train. Abortion is healthcare."

• The act is vital for medical practitioners in states like Idaho, Texas, and Wisconsin, which have near-total bans on abortions. Even before the overturning of Roe v. Wade, medical residents in Texas could opt out of abortion training for religious or moral reasons.
• Sen. Baldwin spoke about the necessity of the funding, saying:

"When Roe v. Wade was overturned, women in Wisconsin were sent back to 1849, living under a criminal abortion ban, but the impact didn't stop there. Doctors have been barred from providing the care they have been trained to perform and medical students and faculty are being forced to travel out of state for training."

Do you support funding for abortion training?

—Emma Kansiz