June 25, 2022

The Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS), a coalition of 48 specialty societies representing more than 800,000 physician members, released a statement yesterday in response to the Supreme Courts decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Care that denounces any interference into the practice of medicine that undermines the integrity of the patient-physician relationship. As a member of CMSS, we at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE) strongly support this statement. The statement is as follows:

“The Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS), a coalition of 48 specialty societies representing more than 800,000 physician members, strongly denounces any interference into the practice of medicine that undermines the integrity of the patient-physician relationship. Casting aside 49 years of precedent and eliminating the constitutional right of millions of Americans to make their own reproductive health decisions, the US Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has inserted the government between patients and their physicians.

“The vital relationship between a patient and a physician is essential to the provision of safe, appropriate, and high-quality health care. This bond must be protected from governmental intrusion, and physicians must have the ability to recommend appropriate treatment options for their patients based on the best available evidence.

“Deaths during childbirth have been increasing in the United States since 2000. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the maternal mortality rate was twice as high for Black women. Nearly two-thirds of the 700 pregnancy-related deaths that occur annually are considered preventable. Given the high rate of preventable pregnancy-related deaths for women with underlying medical conditions cared for by our specialty societies, pregnancy-related decisions must be made between patients and their physicians.

“By eroding the constitutional right to privacy, this decision has the potential to restrict access to some forms of contraception and fertility treatments. Some states will also allow private citizens to take legal action against physicians, other health professionals, and their fellow neighbors who help a woman obtain reproductive health services and information.

“Reproductive health decisions should be private matters, made in consultation between a patient and a physician or other health care professional, without interference from the government. CMSS opposes efforts that interfere with the practice of medicine, undermine the integrity of the patient-physician relationship, and limit access to our health care system.”

As stated in a previous CMSS policy statement in February 2022 that we at AACE also supported, “the vital relationship between a patient and a physician is essential to the provision of safe, appropriate, professional, and high-quality medical care, and this bond should be protected from unnecessary governmental intrusion.”

Our mission at AACE is to elevate the practice of clinical endocrinology to improve global health, and any governmental efforts to interfere with the practice of medicine and patient-physician relationship can impose challenges to our health care system and our ability to advance our mission.  

We stand with our partner specialty societies at CMSS in opposing these recent developments.