One of the most important educational events of every calendar year just adjourned in Orlando, Florida, the Matthew Bulfin Educational Conference convened by the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) and cohosted by the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds). This annual meeting brings together hundreds of medical professionals and members of dozens of allied organizations, including Family Research Council, to exchange information and become familiar with the latest research and policy developments on a range of crucial issues in medical practice and bioethics. 

Presentations at the 2025 conference included a keynote address by Dr. Miriam Grossman, child psychiatrist and author most recently of the book “Lost in Trans Nation: A Child Psychiatrist’s Guide Out of the Madness.” Dr. Grossman’s talk examined the social history of gender dysphoria, its rapid spread and prominence in our culture, and the array of interventions in the medical and education establishments that have caused such extensive damage to children and families. Dr. Grossman surveyed the medical literature and documented how the United States is out of sync with the medical communities in Europe where medical and surgical procedures on children are being foresworn.

Other exciting talks at the event included reports on current and prospective developments that are leading to the saving of more lives of children at risk in the womb. Dr. Luc Joyeux of Texas Children’s Hospital offered an intensive look at the prenatal surgery he is pioneering for the treatment of gastroschisis, a condition in which the developing baby’s stomach, large or small intestines, escape his or her abdomen through a hole in the abdominal wall. The encouraging results potentially add another condition amenable to treatment during pregnancy and likewise remind us of the paradigm that the fetal child is a second patient of the physician’s. Dr. Joyeux underscored how the new procedure, which he tested in animals, is still in a study phase as more patients qualify, and that the process puts high value on minimizing maternal risk as well.

Venturing earlier in pregnancy, Cara Buskmiller, M.D., of Texas Children’s Hospital, where she is the primary fetal interventionist, and Dr. Stephen Sammut, who holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Malta and is a full professor of psychology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, co-presented on exciting developments in addressing ectopic pregnancy. Dr. Sammut has conducted animal studies designed to detail the options for saving ectopic pregnancies through relocation of the errantly implanted embryo. Among the objectives of their presentation was to “articulate the concerns associated with the current treatments for ectopic pregnancy” and “discuss a potential surgical procedure for use in tubal ectopic pregnancy.” The talk typified the high-caliber, life-affirming and cutting-edge information made available over the three-plus days of the conference.

AAPLOG is a membership organization, and it should be noted that it does not limit participation to obstetricians and gynecologists, and attendees reflect this diversity of skill sets and professional interests. The group was originally founded in 1973 in the wake of the Supreme Court decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. It was a “Special Interest Group (SIG)” of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) until 2013, when ACOG discontinued the title of SIG altogether. ACOG, which was founded in 1951 and was prolife until the mid 1960s, quickly established itself as the leading professional association of physicians in this specialty. However, in a top-down move, ACOG’s leadership mounted a full-throated embrace of abortion. It calls for “unimpeded access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care options” and opposes what it calls “legislative interference” in the care medical personnel provide. ACOG’s official statement on abortion is squeamish about referring to women, saying it applies to “people” rather than women or mothers. It scorns references to abortion up to birth as “derogatory language” rather than recognizing an appeal to conscience or human rights.

For decades AAPLOG worked within ACOG to provide an anchor of respect for The Hippocratic Oath, the ancient pledge from 500 years before the time of Christ that obliged the physician to do no harm, not to participate in abortion, or to give a patient a poison to inflict euthanasia. To this day, the vast majority of OB-GYNs do not perform abortions. AAPLOG set out on its own mission to preserve the character of caregivers and to honor the sanctity of life in the womb and as it is being born. In pursuit of that end, AAPLOG supplies thoroughly researched practice guidelines, committee opinions, and policy statements on a wide range of issues within its purview. AAPLOG’s website includes key documents on topics from maternal mortality to dismemberment abortion bans, to ethical treatment of human embryos, and many more.

Today AAPLOG’s membership numbers some 8,000 medical professionals, mostly OB-GYNs but also including physicians of other specialties as well as advanced practice clinicians. It has expanded its reach and its membership, and the organization itself provides expert testimony before legislative bodies, in court proceedings, and educational forums around the nation. It is working to develop more presence in individual states in the wake of the 2022 Dobbs ruling, which restored the ability of state and federal legislative bodies to ban, limit, or set standards regarding abortions. AAPLOG recently announced the formation of the first AAPLOG state chapter in Colorado. It has also formed an AAPLOG Action arm to fortify its efforts to influence public policy to protect women and medical providers alike.

Among the most pressing issues for the group today are conscience protections and board certification and recertification in a dominant medical culture that is determined to eliminate moral diversity on the issue of abortion. ACOG supports expansion of the number of abortionists through policies that make the training a presumptive part of medical education, i.e., opt-out policies that shift the burden to the medical student to avoid participating in abortions. Abortion advocates have attempted to expand abortion training through projects like the Ryan Residency Training Program, which claims to have installed its training program in nearly 40% of U.S. OB-GYN residency programs. The aim is to impose these requirements on all medical students in obstetrics and gynecology and deter pro-Hippocratic physicians from choosing or advancing in the field. Activists have attempted to confuse the public in this area by charging that pro-life laws prevent effective treatment of conditions like ectopic pregnancy and previable, premature rupture of membranes (PPROM). Fighting core untruths like these is a core mission for AAPLOG and other pro-life medical organizations.

That is why the Orlando conference offered especially encouraging news. The obstacles placed in the path of pro-life medical students are considerable, affecting participation in elite schools and eligibility for prestigious roles in the academy and government. Overseas, even a privately expressed pro-life view can suffice to cause the suspension of a student in the health professions. Midwife student Sara Spencer underwent a suspension and investigation by the National Health Service in Scotland over pro-life views she expressed in response to a question on a social media site. Fortunately, she was subsequently cleared to remain in the program, but the process was harrowing for the mother of three. The 2025 MBEC conference showed that a growing number of talented young men and women are undeterred by such attacks. The Orlando conference tallied a record 78 attendees from the nation’s medical schools and residency programs, twice the previous high. Their courage of conviction blessed everyone in attendance. For many, participation was made possible by donations via AAPLOG’s Joe DeCook Medical Student and Resident Scholarship Program.

The 2026 Matthew Bulfin Education Conference has already been scheduled for February 2026 in Seattle, which might be considered hostile ground. One of the presentations at the 2025 conference dealt with how a pro-life women’s care clinic has addressed ideological opposition and succeeded by, in part, adding sexual health services often ignored by pro-choice “reproductive health” centers. The MBEC conference prides itself, and continues to grow, by practical offerings that deal with challenges from the patient-specific to the society-wide. 

The battle to recapture and proclaim the Hippocratic heart of medicine may remain uphill, but groups like AAPLOG and the increasing following it is attracting offer our nation real hope for a life-affirming future.