The country’s largest organization of OB-GYN providers announced this week that it will stop accepting funds from the federal government.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which has more than 60,000 members nationwide, will reject federal funding for all programs and contracts in response to the Trump administration’s policies, Axios reported Friday.
ACOG appears to be the first nationwide physician organization to cut ties with the Trump administration since President Donald Trump enacted his large-scale campaign to slash all federal initiatives for diversity, equity and inclusion. The national organization states on its website that diversity, equity and inclusion are part of the group’s core values, which are integral to combating racism and oppression in medical care.
The organization declined to expand on how this funding cut will impact its services but reiterated that ACOG remains committed to quality patient care and improving health outcomes.
“After careful deliberation, ACOG has made an organization-wide decision to stop accepting federal funding for all ACOG programs and activities for current contracts,” ACOG said in a statement to HuffPost on Friday. “Recent changes in federal funding laws and regulations significantly impact ACOG’s program goals, policy positions, and ability to provide timely and evidence-based guidance and recommendations for care.”
The organization said it will continue to work with the Trump administration on policymaking decisions and advocating for OB-GYNs. “We will evaluate opportunities to partner with the government in the future where our program goals align,” the statement reads.
In response, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told HuffPost on Friday afternoon: “Protecting the civil rights and expanding opportunities for all Americans is a key priority of the Trump administration, which is why he took decisive actions to terminate unlawful DEI preferences in the federal government.”
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The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
ACOG has been at odds with Trump since his conservative Supreme Court repealed federal abortion protections. The fall of Roe v. Wade created a domino effect of state abortion bans that put pregnant people’s lives in danger and threatened to criminalize reproductive health providers.