Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Medical Society, the Vermont Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter, and the Vermont Psychiatric Association, applaud the Vermont Legislature for their recent passage of two “shield laws,” S. 37 and H.89. If signed, these two pieces of legislation will protect patients who seek, and Vermont health care clinicians who provide reproductive health care services and gender-affirming care. The bills now also include protections for medication used to terminate pregnancy, which is necessary, as these medications are currently the subject of federal lawsuits that would revoke their FDA-approval status.
“While across the nation, access to evidence-based health care is being restricted by the whims of ideologically driven judges and lawmakers without medical or scientific training, S.37 and H.89 put into Vermont law legal protections for accessing or providing evidence-based medical care, including medication abortion,” says Jessa Barnard, Executive Director of the Vermont Medical Society. “We are incredibly fortunate to live in a State where our lawmakers trust patients, clinicians and evidence-based science.”
The Vermont medical community also appreciates the swift action of Governor Scott’s Administration and health care entities across the State in working together to ensure that Vermonters will continue to have access to the abortion medication mifepristone, regardless of future actions taken by courts outside of Vermont.
On Friday, the Supreme Court of the United States froze the lower-court rulings seeking to place restrictions on medication abortion drugs like mifepristone, which has been safe and legal in the United States since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it over 20 years ago. Because the underlying lawsuit still continues to move forward, it is important that Vermont implements the safeguards in H. 89 and S. 37 and has medication on hand to protect evidence-based care for patients and those who provide it.
The Vermont medical community strongly believes that everyone who seeks it should have access to reproductive and gender affirming health care services. As other states and federal courts work to restrict access, these organizations thank the Vermont legislature and the Scott Administration for taking strong steps to minimize the impact of out of state actions on Vermonters.
About the Vermont Medical Society: The Vermont Medical Society is the leading voice of physicians in the state and is dedicated to optimizing the health of all Vermonters and the health care environment in which Vermont physicians and physician assistants practice medicine. The Society serves its 2,400 members through public policy advocacy on state and federal levels, as well as by providing legal, administrative, and educational support, producing a rich flow of news and information, and offering member benefits that increase medical practice effectiveness and efficiency. For more information, visit www.VTMD.org.
Source: MONTPELIER, VT (April 24, 2023) Vermont Medical Society
