Policy
ACOG Takes a Stand
Last week, something unprecedented happened in women’s healthcare – and as an ObGyn, it honestly left me both concerned and oddly relieved.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) became the first major medical organization to decline federal funding. Yes, you read that right. They walked away from government money entirely.
ACOG members (myself included) received an email explaining that recent changes in federal funding laws were making it impossible for them to stick to their mission: providing evidence-based care for women. So they made a choice that no medical organization has made before – they chose independence over funding.
Think about what that means. Over 60,000 OB-GYNs essentially said, “We’d rather figure out how to fund ourselves than compromise on the care we provide to women.” That’s… huge.
Why This Felt Like Validation
Reading that email felt like validation for a decision I made years ago. I left clinical practice because I was tired of watching politics interfere with patient care. I was exhausted by rushed 15-minute appointments where I couldn’t give women the comprehensive guidance they desperately needed.
In my practice, I saw the same patterns over and over: intelligent women feeling overwhelmed by conflicting online advice, spending their entire appointment asking questions they’d found on pregnancy forums because they couldn’t trust the sources. New moms leaving the hospital with a crying baby and no real guidance on what to expect.
When ACOG felt they had to choose between money and medical integrity, it confirmed what I’ve known for a while: the traditional healthcare system is failing women, and we need alternatives.
Building Something Independent
That’s exactly why I created Sterling Parents. I wanted to bridge the gap between the brief moments women get with their healthcare providers and the 24/7 support they actually need.
Sterling Parents isn’t just another pregnancy app – it’s my attempt to solve the problems I saw every day in clinical practice. An independent platform with no political influence and no data selling. Just comprehensive, evidence-based support from trying to conceive through postpartum.
My goal is simple: give women access to the kind of guidance they deserve but rarely get. The detailed explanations I wish I could have given in those rushed appointments. The reassurance they need at 2am when they’re worried about symptoms.
When I see ACOG choosing independence over compromised care, I’m reminded why I made the same choice. Sometimes you have to step outside the broken system to actually serve the people who need you most.
You deserve healthcare guidance that’s created by someone who understands the gaps in our current system because I’ve lived them every day. That’s what Sterling Parents represents – a healthcare provider’s answer to what comprehensive women’s healthcare support should actually look like.
