New bill will protect medical residents from being coerced into abortion training

On Thursday, November 20, Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) introduced the Conscience Protections for Medical Residents Act, a measure that ensures medical residents in federally-funded programs cannot be forced into abortion training and cannot face retaliation for refusing to participate.

Key Takeaways:

The Conscience Protections for Medical Residents Act is meant to protect those training for careers in medicine from being coerced into participating in abortion training. It changes the current requirement to "opt-out" of the training to an "opt-in" system.

Many medical professionals feel their "evaluations, recommendations, or future career opportunities" are at risk due to their deeply held conscience or religious convictions, as noted in a press release from Sen. Lankford.

The Details:

The bill requires an opt-in system for any abortion-related training and bars discrimination against residents who decline to participate in or assist with abortion procedures.

The legislation responds to ongoing concerns inside medical education, where many residency programs still use an opt-out model that pressures residents to participate unless they formally object.

Senator Lankford and Representative Greg Murphy emphasized in a press release that no physician in training should have to choose between his or her career and his or her ethical or religious beliefs. "Many went into medicine to protect life, not take it. No one should have to choose between their conscience and their future in medicine," said Lankford.

Murphy noted, "Medical residents should not be compelled to participate in abortion training if it violates their conscience... This issue is about restoring a non-ideological educational environment where individuals do not fear expressing moral or religious objections.” 

The bill reinforces longstanding medical principles rooted in the Hippocratic Oath, which historically prohibited physicians from taking part in abortion, and it protects the rights of residents whose Christian convictions prevent them from participating in practices that end human life.

The legislation is backed by a coalition of pro-life organizations, including:

• Alliance Defending Freedom

• American Association of Pro‑Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists Action

• Americans United for Life

• CatholicVote

• Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee

• Eagle Forum

• First Liberty Institute

• Heartbeat International

• Heritage Action

• Liberty Counsel Action

• Live Action

• March for Life Action

• National Right to Life Committee

• Students for Life of America

• Susan B. Anthony Pro‑Life America

• Several others

In the Senate, the bill is joined by Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska.), and Mike Lee (R-Utah).

Commentary:

Carole Novielli, Research Fellow at Live Action, stated that this kind of coercion in medical training has been going on for decades:

"The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, which sets standards for residency and fellowship programs, has required abortion training to be provided by medical schools to receive accreditation for almost 30 years — since 1996. Because of that mandate, billionaire Warren Buffett's Foundation started pouring millions of dollars into setting up the Ryan Residency Program through the University of California to train abortionists. And today, there are 121 Ryan Residency programs set up at universities across the country — even at some Catholic institutions. They've trained more than 7,000 OBGYNs how to intentionally kill preborn babies."

Refusing to participate in the killing of preborn children shouldn't be considered a "liability" in medicine.

This is simple. No one should be forced into an abortion room. Pro-life and Christian medical residents deserve training environments that respect their moral convictions and the Hippocratic tradition that physicians must do no harm.

For many young doctors, refusing to participate in abortion is a matter of conscience. This bill makes clear that their beliefs are not a liability and will be protected in every federally funded program.

The Bottom Line:

This legislation makes it clear that the federal government should not force doctors-in-training to violate their beliefs or participate in something that ends human life.