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Opinion: Patients deserve to access the medication they need to manage their reproductive health safely

Dec. 14, 2023 min read

By Amanda Skinner

An orange package of Mifeprex brand medication.

An orange package of Mifeprex brand medication.

On Wednesday, the US Supreme Court agreed to hear US Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the case that will determine the accessibility of mifepristone, one of the two primary medications used in medication abortion. This decision ensures that, for now, mifepristone will continue to be available in states where abortion is legal.

Mifepristone is an extremely safe, effective medication that has been used for both abortion and miscarriage care since the FDA first approved it more than 23 years ago. Patients deserve to access the medication they need to manage their reproductive health safely and on their own terms. Health care providers should be able to provide mifepristone without unnecessary interference from courts or politicians.

It is imperative for the Supreme Court to reject this politically motivated attempt to interfere with the FDA’s approval process. These efforts seek to reinstate unnecessary restrictions to mifepristone and limit access to medication abortion nationwide, jeopardizing the health and well-being of those seeking essential medical care.

Make no mistake, the repercussions of this case go far beyond abortion care — they could upend the country’s drug approval process, and put every FDA-approved medication at risk of being restricted to advance a political agenda. We should never be in a position where judges are deciding whether people can get safe, effective medicines.

Planned Parenthood of Southern New England continues to provide medication abortion as an option for eligible patients seeking abortion care in Connecticut and Rhode Island and as always, will follow evidence-based standards to provide safe, high-quality abortion care consistent with all state and federal regulations. We will never stop fighting to make sure patients have access to the essential health care that they need.

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Amanda Skinner is the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England.

Published in the Boston Globe on December 14, 2023.

Tags: Abortion, Supreme Court, mifepristone

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