The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is a

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and t ...

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

s specializing in

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a sur ...

and

gynecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. Several

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...

n countries are also represented within Districts of the organization. It is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of ...

organization with a membership of more than 60,000 obstetrician-gynecologists and women's health care professionals. It was founded in 1951. __TOC__

Background

A companion 501(c)(6) organization, the American ''Congress'' of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, was founded in 2008 and became operational in 2010. The two organizations coexist, and member individuals automatically belong to both. Both are

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. The College as a 501(c)(3) focuses on education (with limited political work), whereas the Congress as a 501(c)(6) is allowed to advocate for members' interests in terms of the business of medicine (BOM) through

lobbying In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, whic ...

and other political work. Their main advocacy focuses on women's reproductive health, specifically opposing political interference in abortion access. Physician members are referred to as

fellows Fellows may refer to Fellow, in plural form. Fellows or Fellowes may also refer to: Places *Fellows, California, USA *Fellows, Wisconsin, ghost town, USA Other uses *Fellows Auctioneers, established in 1876. * Fellowes, Inc., manufacturer of wor ...

and use the

post-nominal letters Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

FACOG to indicate their status. To become a fellow, a candidate must become certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, an independent organization, and then nominated to the College by another fellow. Non ObGyn professionals may join as an Allied Health Professional, but must meet their standards of education. '' Obstetrics & Gynecology'' is the official publication of ACOG. It is popularly known as "The Green Journal".SCImago Journal and Country rank > Obstetrics and Gynecology
Retrieved on April 15, 2010 In 1986, the organization successfully challenged an anti-abortion law in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

before the U.S. Supreme Court in ''

Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ''Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists'', 476 U.S. 747 (1986), was a United States Supreme Court case involving a challenge to Pennsylvania's Abortion Control Act of 1982..Greenhouse, Linda. Becoming Justice Blackmun. T ...

''.Greenhouse, Linda. ''Becoming Justice Blackmun''. Times Books. 2005. Page 183.

References

External links

Official ACOG website

Green Journal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:American Congress Of Obstetricians And Gynecologists 1951 establishments in the United States Abortion-rights organizations in the United States Medical associations based in the United States Medical and health organizations based in Washington, D.C. Obstetrics and gynaecology organizations Organizations established in 1951