U.S. Senator Katie Britt, R-Alabama, has cosponsored a bill that would require medical residents to opt in to training involving abortion care.
The Conscious Protections for Medical Residents Act, led in the U.S. Senate by Senator James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, has been endorsed by Britt and 10 additional Republican Senators.
Current Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education guidelines allow medical residents to opt out of training related to administering abortions.
However, bill sponsors, including Britt’s office, have argued the current regulation “puts pressure on trainees to participate in procedures that violate their moral or religious beliefs.”
“Residents often fear that opting out could affect evaluations, recommendations, or future career opportunities,” Britt’s office wrote.
The bill would replace the opt-out system with one that requires all medical residents to be given the option to opt in to undergoing training that involves performing or assisting in the performance of inducing abortions, as well as conducting counseling or referrals for abortions.
“There should never be an instance where a medical student or resident is forced to choose between their deeply held moral or religious convictions and their careers,” Britt said in a written statement. “Our legislation simply lets residents opt in, rather than be forced to opt out, of training that violates their consciences.”
“I will always fight to protect life, and I’m proud to support this bill that would safeguard the values of aspiring medical professionals as they learn and thrive,” she added.
While Britt’s office wrote that the bill would protect medical residents from “discrimination or retaliation” if they decline to take part in abortion training, an analysis from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists argued that the limited access to abortion training already seen in states with laws restricting abortions has negatively impacted physicians’ abilities to care for pregnant patients.
In a February paper, ACOG warned against the effects of state abortion restrictions, passed after Roe v. Wade was overturned, on maternal health education.
“Training in abortion care, which faced limitations even prior to Dobbs, is now dependent on location and efforts by the trainee and training program to seek this education,” the organization wrote.
ACOG argued that regulations, as Alabama’s ban on abortions in all cases except when a mother’s life is at risk, make it more difficult for residents to learn to handle early pregnancy loss, ectopic pregnancies and inducing abortions to save the life of a pregnant person.
“Abortion training not only equips obstetrician–gynecologists with fundamental and life-saving procedural skills, but also improves proficiency in core skills needed by clinicians who may not ultimately provide abortion care in their practices, including pregnancy options counseling, ultrasonography evaluation, and uterine evacuation,” the paper reads.
A report by the Association of American Medical Colleges from May of last year also found that OB-GYN residency applications have dropped significantly in Alabama since Dobbs and the passage of the state’s abortion ban.
From 2022 to 2023, Alabama saw a 4.8 percent decrease in OB-GYN residency applications and a roughly 21 percent decrease from 2023 to 2024.
Lankford, a Southern Baptist minister, argued similarly to Britt that the current opt-out protocol available for medical residents set to receive training in abortion care may still “pressure” residents “to violate their beliefs in order to finish their training or advance their careers.”
The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, a Christian nonprofit opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage, also released a statement supporting the act.
“This bill is a necessary step to ensuring that conscience rights and religious perspectives are not just accommodated in medical settings but respected,” ERLC wrote. “As Southern Baptists, we have fiercely held our conviction to support and advocate for religious liberty since our formation as a denomination.”
A U.S. House version of the legislation is being carried by Representative Greg Murphy, R-N.C.
Alongside ERLC, the bill has seen endorsements from numerous anti-abortion groups consisting of: the American Association of Pro-Life OBGYNs Action, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, the Alliance Defending Freedom, Americans United for Life, National Right to Life, CURE International, CatholicVote, Vitae Foundation, Human Coalition, March for Life Action, Heartbeat International, Students for Life Action, Concerned Women for America, Live Action, Heritage Action, the Family Planning Association, Liberty Counsel, Liberty Counsel Action and the Family Research Council.
