KU ob/gyn doctors don’t require elective abortion training

There is no reason that Kansas should succumb to the desire of the University of Kansas (KU) to continue decades of facilitating, promoting and paying for abortion training in their post-graduate residency program.

Kansans for Life files show that 13 of 24 Kansas abortionists (current & past) were KU medical center grads, taught at KU, or both.

The policy (see earlier post) of the national accreditation agency, ACGME, is being waved at lawmakers as if it absolutely demands abortion training.  But a careful examination shows it merely requires that accredited ob/gyn residency programs provide training in abortion complications and not impede (or discriminate against) residents who seek abortion training separately ‘on their own time and own dime.’

This is solely a negative requirement— it does not require Kansas to help them do so, much less to pay for it. And thus, Kansas House Bill 2598 poses no threat to accreditation. And even if it were a threat, state sovereignty determines standards for medical training and practice– not ACGME. For 16 years, ACGME has tried to bully medical schools into helping recruit physicians to offset the continuing reduction in numbers of abortionists.

Furthermore, HB 2598 would prohibit state entities (including KU residents that are insured as state employees) from performing abortions EXCEPT those necessary to preserve the life of the pregnant woman (see section 6). HB 2598 is certainly not endangering pregnant women who face life-threatening situations. All ob/gyns are trained to handle all emergencies in educational settings and hospitals without having to participate in elective abortion. For example:

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Kansas N.O.W. wrong on KU accreditation & pro-life bill

Kansas N.O.W. lobbyist Kari Rinker, is fanning opposition (here and here) to the Pro-Life Protections Act, HB 2598, but she is wrong that the bill will cost accreditation for the University of Kansas (KU), and she’s wrong about ob/gyn physician education.

1998 Kansas law already bans abortions at KU—but KU continued abortion training, merely moving it offsite. (read previous post)

One provision of HB 2598 would forbid abortion performance by state entities (and by state student-physicians in training) –language that mirrors what Arizona adopted in 2011 (KSA 76-3308 (i)) KU has not issued a public demand to keep abortion training, other than emails to legislators from its lobbyist,

incorrectly threatening that a lack of abortion participation would cause KU to lose accreditation by ACGME (American Council on Graduate Medical Education).

However, ACGME—by its own rules– exempts not only individuals from performing abortions for religious /moral objections to performing abortions, but also exempts education programs that are under “legal” restrictions (see article IV. A. 2 d, on pg. 13 here). That is why Arizona retains its accreditation while banning abortion training.

Authentic training required for ob/gyn physicians includes pregnancy management, evacuation of the womb and “learning about abortion procedures without doing them,” as bill-author Rep. Lance Kinzer (R-Olathe) correctly told

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Time to end University of Kansas abortion training

HB 2598, the Pro-Life Protections Act, contains several provisions reflecting the state’s right not to prop up abortion businesses with income tax advantages, and not to require abortion training for students at state-funded universities.

While the bill awaits a vote from the House Federal-State Affairs committee, a lobbyist for the University of Kansas (KU) has alerted state representatives that KU needs a specific exemption from HB 2598 to continue abortion training for their ob/gyn physician residents.  The lobbyist writes that, without the exemption, national accreditation from ACGME (the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) will be pulled — but no clear evidence of this has been produced.

KU did not testify at the bill hearing; neither is there evidence that KU contacted ACGME about the situation in light of the fact that Arizona last year passed a clear ban (see section c here) on using public monies for abortion training — without loss of accreditation for their state post-graduate ob/gyn program. (check http://www.acgme.org/adspublic/, choose “accredited programs,” choose specialty (obgyn) and choose state to see accredited programs).

Furthermore, the legislative permission for establishing the KU Hospital Authority rested on ending abortions at KU– which KU resisted in 1997, and conceded in 1998.  Now it appears they are not following lawmakers’ intent, and only moved the abortion training off of state property.

1. Federal law protects funding for medical education that objects to abortion participation– regardless of ACGME accreditation.
2. There is no professional reason that ob/gyn resident physicians have to learn how to destroy unborn children in order to achieve competency in pregnancy management, stillbirth evacuation or treating abortion complications.

ACGME already knows abortion training is not needed, because they “allow” individual graduate students to “opt out” of doing abortions

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