In June, Endocrine Society members Salwa Zahalka, MD; Palak Choksi, MD; Mandy Bell, MD; and Dan Spratt, MD; who serve as the Society’s delegation to the American Medical Association’s (AMA) House of Delegates, attended the AMA meeting in Chicago to advocate for policies important to our members.
The AMA House of Delegates meets twice a year to establish policy positions on topics of importance to healthcare providers and patients. This year, we successfully advocated for a resolution to protect access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. We co-authored a resolution with the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) to oppose legislation, ballot measures, or court rulings that would restrict access to IVF treatment. The resolution also directs the AMA’s Task Force to Preserve the Patient-Physician Relationship to work on this issue along with access to other reproductive healthcare and gender affirming care. Spratt, who is one of our delegates to the House of Medicine, serves on the task force.
This resolution was particularly timely because there are multiple pieces of legislation in the 118th Congress that aim to protect IVF. The Society endorsed the Right to IVF Act, which was introduced by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) to protect and expand nationwide access to fertility treatment, including IVF. The Right to IVF Act would help individuals and families who are impacted by infertility by establishing a statutory right to access IVF for all Americans who need it to start or grow a family and expanding access to coverage for IVF and fertility treatment. On Thursday, June 13, Senate Republicans voted to block the bill and the legislation failed to advance in a procedural vote. The AMA resolution, however, will help keep pressure from the “House of Medicine” on this important policy issue.
Endocrinologists understand the effects of these persistent and bioaccumulative chemicals on endocrine systems at biologically relevant levels of exposure which can have adverse effects on thyroid hormone levels, metabolic systems, reproduction, development, and other areas.
During the AMA meeting, we also co-authored a resolution, which urges the AMA to advocate for education and action regarding the health hazards of PFAS chemicals. Scientific evidence demonstrates that PFAS are persistent and bioaccumulative chemicals with endocrine-disrupting effects at extremely low, biologically relevant levels of exposure. Endocrinologists understand the effects of these persistent and bioaccumulative chemicals on endocrine systems at biologically relevant levels of exposure which can have adverse effects on thyroid hormone levels, metabolic systems, reproduction, development, and other areas.
The Endocrine Society has strongly supported stronger regulation of these chemicals, which are scientifically proven to cause harmful effects on the endocrine system. We were pleased to support this resolution which calls on the AMA to improve physician and public education around the adverse health effects of PFAS along with potential mitigation and prevention efforts. The Society will continue to be a leading voice regarding these two important issues.
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