Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of 20 attorneys general, today urged the American Medical Association (AMA) to take stronger action to protect health care providers from risky in-person medical board certification requirements.
In testimony submitted to the AMA, Raoul and the coalition argue that mandating in-person board certification testing in states that have aggressively criminalized or penalized reproductive and gender-affirming health care endangers providers and threatens access to essential care nationwide. In particular, the attorneys general highlight the American Board of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ABOG), which requires OB/GYNs seeking board certification to travel to Texas for in-person testing. Texas has imposed some of the most severe restrictions on abortion and gender-affirming care in the country.
“Illinois medical professionals who provide lawful health care should not be forced to travel to states that have criminalized reproductive and gender-affirming health care and risk their legal and physical safety to obtain board certifications needed to advance their careers,” Raoul said. “I urge the AMA to adopt policies that prioritize the safety of all medical providers and the essential health care services they perform.”
Earlier this year, the AMA acknowledged the risks state laws that restrict abortion and gender-affirming care pose to health care providers by adopting a policy encouraging medical boards to provide alternative testing options in states with such restrictions. However, Raoul and the coalition assert that the AMA’s current stance does not go far enough to protect examinees, as it lacks sufficient urgency and fails to provide policy guidance to the specialty boards on concrete steps they should take to protect candidates.
Raoul and the coalition are calling on the AMA to go further by:
The coalition’s testimony highlights the increasingly hostile legal landscape for health care providers in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Following the decision, several states implemented draconian restrictions on abortion and have since taken steps to criminalize patients and providers. Many of the same states have followed up by passing a wave of restrictions on gender-affirming care. Raoul and the attorneys general argue that officials in these anti-choice states have made it clear their goal is to intimidate and punish reproductive health and gender-affirming care providers, no matter where the care was provided.
Raoul and the coalition warn that mandating in-person board certification testing in states that penalize these forms of health care could have far-reaching and harmful consequences. The ABOG continues to require in-person certification exams for all obstetricians and gynecologists in Texas despite its restrictions on abortion and gender-affirming care. The attorneys general assert that the ABOG’s refusal to provide accommodations for candidates who fear prosecution or physical harm in Texas places providers at needless risk and endangers access to essential care nationwide.
Raoul emphasizes that ensuring the safety of health care providers is essential to maintaining access to reproductive and gender-affirming care in states like Illinois. Raoul and the coalition are urging the AMA to act urgently and forcefully to ensure medical specialty boards adopt concrete, actionable policies that protect providers, warning that failure to act could exacerbate the national health care crisis.
Joining Raoul in submitting this testimony are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
