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ANALYSIS: Indiana University ignores requests for evidence that the state’s pro-life law would hurt the ‘quality’ of medical residents

There is still no proof that Indiana’s law against abortion is harming the quality of OB/GYN residents coming to the state, despite the claims of Indiana University’s program director.

Dr. Nicole Scott said the state’s pro-life law, which prohibits around 95 to 99 percent of abortions, would harm the “quality of candidates” for the public university’s OB/GYN program. The law also prohibits facilities like Planned Parenthood from committing abortions, though hospitals can still kill preborn babies with limitations.

She first made the claim in Sep. 2022 but has yet to provide any evidence to support her claim.

For the second time, The College Fix attempted to gather any evidence to support her claim, but IU did not respond to requests to back up her assertion. Indiana passed the law in 2022 and it went into effect in 2023, following legal challenges.

“We’re concerned this is going to affect the quality of candidates that we receive and certainly the education we can provide,” Dr. Scott said.

The College Fix emailed Scott and the medical school’s OB/GYN media relations contact Andrea Zeek twice over the past several weeks and asked if the doctor’s claims still stand. The Fix also left a voicemail with the media team.

The Fix also asked IU if it had investigated those claims or gathered any data to support Dr. Scott’s criticism of the pro-life law but received no response from anyone in the department.

However, an OB/GYN who works at the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute think tank criticized Scott’s claims.

“There is no evidence pro-life laws are negatively affecting the quality or quantity of obstetric residency applicants,” Dr. Ingrid Skop, vice president and director of medical affairs at the think tank, told The Fix in an email,

“The data continues to show that pro-life states are receiving far more applications for obstetric residencies than they have spots available,” Skop said. “Quality obstetric training continues in pro-life states, despite the false narrative promoted by abortion advocates.”

According to a study by the Lozier Institute, “Recent data from the Association of American Medical Colleges shows that across the country, total medical school enrollment has increased over the past five years – including in pro-life states.”

The state’s generally prohibitive law should not be dissuading applicants, according to Skop.

She told The Fix:

All pro-life laws include an exception permitting abortion if it is necessary to protect a woman’s life, so the quality of obstetric care should not change if doctors understand the laws. The procedures used to perform elective abortions are the same as those used to manage a miscarriage, so residents will still receive adequate training in these procedures in pro-life states.

“The vast majority, around 90%, of obstetricians do not perform elective abortions, so laws limiting this procedure will not affect the practice of most obstetricians,” Skop said.

IU remains regional medical school, attracting local students to its OB/GYN program

The Fix reviewed the medical doctors who applied and accepted an offer of admission to the university’s OB/GYN program. Residents first graduate from medical school and then apply for residency.

There have now been two classes of residents who applied and made decisions since the passage of the law.

The data show the university remains a regional medical school, generally attracting students from neighboring and other midwestern states.

In the two years prior to the law’s passage, the school had four residents from its own medical school. In the two years since, the school also had four residents from IU, suggesting that at least some students who had the opportunity to leave the state did not.

The most recent class also had two students from Marian University’s medical school, which is also in Indiana.

Students for Life of America previously criticized Scott’s premise. “The idea that young people spend years in school to dedicate themselves to ending life by abortion as their ambition represents abortion industry misinformation,” spokeswoman Kristi Hamrick told The Fix in 2023.

Editor’s note: The article has been updated with further information about attempts to contact IU for comment.

MORE: No proof students are leaving red states because of pro-life laws

IMAGE: IU Health/YouTube

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