A primary guiding principle of the Florida Academy of Family Physicians' (FAFP) has been, and continues to be, that physicians must be able to practice medicine directed by their years of medical education, training, experience, and best available evidence, freely and without threat of punishment, harassment, or retribution. Additionally, patients must be able to depend on their physicians to help them make critical decisions about their personal health, including reproductive health.
As our nation, state and profession continue to navigate this and many other ethical and social dilemmas (e.g., hormone therapy for minors, gun violence, etc.), the FAFP will be working with the AAFP and other partners to develop practice resources to assist members in avoiding legal pitfalls and counseling their patients. Furthermore, FAFP’s continuing professional development committee will be considering continuing medical education materials to provide high quality education on reproductive care within the new practice paradigms created by the SCOTUS decision and state legislative action.
It is my hope that this is a wake-up call to our state leaders and legislators that they, more than ever, have a moral imperative to strengthen Florida’s social safety net, invest in families and expand health insurance coverage to women and children. Not to mention that family medicine in Florida maintains its commitment in placing patients above politics in any and all circumstance.
