Planned Parenthood Keystone Responds to Supreme Court Reinstating Medically Unnecessary Barriers to Abortion During COVID-19
For Immediate Release: Jan. 13, 2021 (Updated: Jan. 13, 2020, 3:53 p.m.)
[Warminster, PA] – Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court granted the Trump administration’s request to reinstate a medically unnecessary barrier to medication abortion during the COVID-19 pandemic. The restrictions on mifepristone, an FDA-approved medication used in medication abortion care, were lifted which had previously mandated that patients pick up the medication directly from a doctor’s office or health center, rather than from a pharmacy or by mail. During this pandemic, the unnecessary travel to pick up this safe and legal medication needlessly increases a patient’s exposure to COVID-19.
Planned Parenthood Keystone was poised to launch medication abortion directly to patients to reduce unnecessary travel to health center. Under the new service, abortion medications would be mailed to eligible patients after a telehealth visit with Planned Parenthood Keystone’s doctors.
“The reinstatement by the Supreme Court is very disappointing and puts our patient’s lives at great risk. Unnecessary travel for a safe and legal medication increases the risk of COVID-19 for our patients and imposes upon them more barriers to health care. Mifepristone is a safe and legal medication that has been used to end early pregnancy for 20 years. This pandemic has already taken so many lives and caused so much pain. Here at Planned Parenthood Keystone we will not stop innovating to increase access to health and abortion care,” stated Melissa Reed, President and CEO.
Planned Parenthood Keystone’s nine health centers in Central and Eastern Pennsylvania offer a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services, and more than 24,000 patients annually depend on Planned Parenthood Keystone for expert, affordable, and compassionate health care. You can visit ppkeystone.org to find the health center nearest you or schedule a telehealth appointment.
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Planned Parenthood Keystone (PPKeystone) is a non-partisan 501 c(3) organization that operates 9 health centers serving a 37- county region, providing essential health care services and sexuality education. Medical services include birth control, annual gynecological exams, STD testing and treatment, emergency contraception, pregnancy testing and options referrals, abortion care, cancer screening and treatment, confidential HIV/AIDS testing, male services and more. Health centers are located in Allentown, Bensalem, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Quakertown, Reading, Warminster, Wilkes-Barre, and York. Visit www.ppkeystone.org. for more information. PPKeystone is an affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America – the nation’s leading sexual and reproductive health care advocate and provider.