As we enter into 2024, read the following reflections from AAPLOG’s CEO, Dr. Christina Francis.
Valued AAPLOG member,
I’m sure that you’ve heard many people say “I can’t believe it’s 2024!” So I won’t start this reflection out that way, but it certainly does seem that the older I get, the faster time moves. Contributing to that in 2023 was stepping into my new role as CEO of this amazing organization 10 months ago right in the midst of one of the most critical and challenging times the pro-life movement and our medical profession have encountered.
2023 presented us with some amazing highs and some really difficult lows. We were able to celebrate the amazing service and contribution of our outgoing CEO, Dr. Donna Harrison, at our national conference in February – and welcome the highest number of students and residents ever thanks to our Joe DeCook scholarship program. We trained over 100 medical professionals to clearly articulate the evidence that supports life-affirming medicine to the media, their state houses, and the courts through our Expert Witness Training program. Many of these members have gone on to publish op-eds in state and national outlets, appear on national television, and serve as experts for states defending their pro-life protections. And, we saw two major court victories in our case against the FDA over their negligence in allowing mifepristone and misoprostol for induced abortion to be dispensed online with no medical supervision.
2023 also brought disappointments in several states, where life-affirming ballot initiatives were defeated or radical pro-abortion constitutional amendments passed – largely due to fear-mongering misinformation peddled by pro-abortion advocates. I also continue to be grieved by the progressively more radical pro-abortion stance of many medical organizations, with ACOG at the lead. This was clearly stated by ACOG’s CEO in a letter to the editor in the Washington Post when he said, “abortion is safe. It improves and saves lives, and it must be available without restrictions, without limitations and without barriers — just as any other critical part of health care.” (emphasis mine) Attempts to attack the conscience rights of and intimidate pro-life medical professionals continued to increase.
The need for a voice of sanity, clarity and empathy that promotes the lives and health of all our patients has never been more clear in our profession. Being this voice requires an immense amount of courage in our current cultural climate. We recognize this and want to ensure you that we are here to support and inspire you to be contagiously courageous in your defense of life as we attempt to restore dignity to this noble profession of ours. That’s why we chose the theme for this year’s national Matthew Bulfin Educational Conference: “The Call to Courage: Restoring Dignity in Medicine”. If you have not yet registered, I’d encourage you to do so now. You will not want to miss out on the opportunity to hear the amazing speakers we have lined up for this year and network with hundreds of like-minded medical professionals and key prolife partners. It is the highlight of my year, and I hope to see as many of you as possible in Frisco, Texas this February!
AAPLOG will continue to be your advocate in the public square as we bring truth to the discussion on abortion and dispel the misinformation that is being spread by others in the medical community. We will also continue to bring you crucial research and practice guidance to help you as you navigate sometimes difficult patient care situations while honoring the dignity of BOTH your patients. We will be sharing the results of our member survey soon as well . Please fill the survey out now if you haven’t already so that we can better serve you. Also, we have some big news planned for 2024 that will significantly expand how we are able to support your practice – so stay tuned for that!!
I’m typically not a fan of New Year’s resolutions, as I, often fail to live up to them (a common problem, I’m sure). However, I recently came across an ambitious list of 70 resolutions that Jonathan Edwards, an 18th century American philosopher and theologian, made. It is a worthwhile list to read, but I want to close this reflection with two of the resolutions that I think are apropos to the year we have ahead of us:
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- I am resolved to stand for truth, even if all the world will not. I am further resolved to speak truth, even if all the world will hate it.
- I am resolved to practice joy over cynicism, hope over pessimism, faith over skepticism, and love over unnecessary criticism.
I hope these encourage you as they did me. Let’s go forward boldly with the truth in a winsome but confident manner – knowing that we are standing in the gap for our patients and the future of our profession, and that we are not in this fight alone!
