Abortion training to be required in standard Ob / Gyn curriculum

On February 15, (1995) the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education announced that it will now require medical schools seeking accreditation to provide abortion training for all residents in obstetrics and gynecology. The new "Program Requirements for Residency Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology," approved unanimously, will take effect on January 1, 1996. According to the Council, the newly issued standards are the first to refer specifically to abortion. The language states, "Experience with induced abortion must be part of residency training, except for residents with moral or religious objections .... Experience with management of complications of abortion must be provided to all residents." The Council also mandates that if a medical school itself has "a religious, moral or legal" objection to teaching the procedure, it must "ensure that residents ... who do not have a religious or moral objection receive education and experience in performing abortion at another institution." Other revisions provide for expanded resident education in "primary and preventive care," due to the fact that many women rely on their obstetricians and gynecologists as their primary care physicians, as well as additional training experience in family planning, including "all reversible methods of contraception" and sterilization. In order to be certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, ob/gyns must graduate from an accredited residency program. In addition, teaching hospitals must be accredited to secure federal reimbursements for the medical services patients receive from residents. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education operates under the aegis of the American Medical Association, the American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Hospital Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the Council of Medical Specialty Societies. Both the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists support the Council's revised standards.