Planned Parenthood of Michigan Responds to Texas Ruling Blocking Mifepristone

Texas Judge Forces Abortion Providers to Plan For Shift to Less Effective Abortion Regimen

LANSING, Mich. – Today, a Trump-appointed district judge in Texas issued an unprecedented preliminary injunction in the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al. v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration et al. case, temporarily revoking FDA approval of mifepristone.

Mifepristone is one of two medicines commonly used to end an early pregnancy. It is safe and effective, and has been used by more than five million people since the FDA approved it more than 20 years ago. It has a safety record of more than 99% — making it safer than common medications like Tylenol and Viagra.

The decision to remove mifepristone from the market is not based on medical science. It will harm patients nationwide seeking to end an early pregnancy or manage a miscarriage.

Statement from Paula Thornton Greear, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Michigan:

We knew that anti-abortion activists and politicians would not stop at overturning Roe. This lawsuit is part of their continued assault on access to sexual and reproductive health care nationwide. Today’s outrageous decision is yet another example of politically-motivated government overreach preventing doctors from providing the highest standards of care.

Mifepristone is safe and effective, and has been used by more than five million people since the FDA approved it more than 20 years ago. This lawsuit is not based on medical science – it is a purely political attack designed to sow confusion and undermine abortion access.

Let’s be clear – Planned Parenthood of Michigan will continue to provide safe and legal medication abortion to everyone who relies on us for care. But in response to this decision out of Texas, PPMI – like providers nationwide – is being forced to evaluate our protocols and prepare to shift to a misoprostol-only regimen if necessary.

Misoprostol-only abortion is safe, but it is slightly less effective. For patients, this means a higher number of medication abortions will require additional care, potentially forcing people to seek higher levels of abortion care later in pregnancy and placing additional – and sometimes insurmountable – barriers in front of them.

Access to the highest standard of medical care is a human right. The judge’s decision to ignore medical science and attempt to remove mifepristone from the market could rob millions of Americans of that right – even in states with protections for abortion access. Our patients deserve better.

Despite today’s setback, Planned Parenthood of Michigan is here, our doors are open, and we won’t stop fighting until everyone is able to access the highest-quality care available when and where they need it