Minnesota Family Physicians Stand Against Policies That Criminalize Abortion Care & Threaten the Patient-Physician Relationship
June 24, 2022—The Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) is disappointed in today’s Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. The MAFP stands against any policies that:
- interfere with a patient’s ability to obtain the health care treatment and services that they need, including abortion and gender-affirming care;
- obstruct the ability of a physician/medical provider to practice evidence-based medicine;
- threaten the patient-physician relationship; and
- criminalize physicians, medical providers and medical care.
“Physicians must be able to practice medicine that is informed by their years of medical education, training, experience and the available evidence, freely and without threat of punishment, harassment or retribution. Patients, not policymakers, must make their own medical decisions” (American Academy of Family Physicians, 2022).
Laws and mandates that criminalize people and medical care and restrict, reduce or remove access to health care treatment and services put patients at risk and disproportionately harm patients who are BIPOC and LGBTQI. Lack of access to abortion and comprehensive reproductive health care will lead to poorer health outcomes and a widening of health care disparities and inequities.
The MAFP will continue to advocate for family physicians and our patients—for the right to health care, for the right to practice evidence-based medicine without governmental interference on the confidential relationship between patient and physician and against the criminalization of medical care and physicians/medical providers.
See statement from the American Academy of Family Physicians.
About the MAFP
The Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) is the largest medical specialty organization in Minnesota, representing more than 3,100 family physicians, family medicine resident physicians and medical students. The MAFP promotes the specialty of family medicine in Minnesota and supports family physicians as they provide high quality, comprehensive and continuous medical care for patients of all ages.