NARAL Pro-Choice America
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John—
As a practicing OB-GYN, I know reproductive healthcare is singled out,
stigmatized, and attacked. The impact is devastating. To make matters
worse, anti-choice politicians are now weaponizing stay-at-home orders
intended to keep people safe to block patients like mine from getting the
care they need.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made access to reproductive healthcare,
including abortion, even more limited. It’s essential that the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) lift medically unnecessary restrictions on
mifepristone NOW.
Mifepristone is the drug used for medication abortion and miscarriage
care. Used in over a third of abortion proceedures nationwide, numerous
studies prove mifepristone is safe and effective.^1
[ [link removed] ]Will you add your name to this petition demanding that the FDA remove
medically unnecessary restrictions on one of the safest, most effective
drugs on the market? Your support will help expand abortion access in this
time of crisis.
Due to the restrictions on mifepristone, only pre-approved clinicians are
allowed to dispense this safe and proven medication. Without pre-approval,
your doctor can’t write a prescription in the office or in the emergency
room. The local pharmacy can’t even stock mifepristone.
In this time of pandemic, lifting the restrictions on mifepristone will
help address the crisis of abortion access — especially for people
experiencing poverty, those who live in rural areas, and people of color.
Abortion access, already severely restricted in many states, is even more
difficult during the COVID-19 crisis. Patients are scared and confused.
Continuing to restrict a safe, effective medication is a cynical,
politically-motivated move. It’s only intended to further the anti-choice
movement’s ultimate goal of banning abortion and controlling our bodies.
[ [link removed] ]Add your name to NARAL Pro-Choice America’s petition demanding that the
FDA remove medically unnecessary restrictions on medication abortion now.
The medical community endorses lifting these restrictions on mifepristone.
Former FDA commissioner Dr. Jane Henney co-authored a New England Journal
of Medicine article proposing the restrictions be lifted. My colleagues in
the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists endorse lifting
the restrictions that interfere with our ability to deliver the highest
quality of patient care.^2,3
As the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened, anti-choice governors and attorneys
general have tried to use stay-at-home orders as a smokescreen to ban
abortion by describing abortion as “non-essential” healthcare. As a
doctor, I want to stop government interference in healthcare. Decisions
that belong to patients and their providers must be determined by good
medical science — not political ideology.
[ [link removed] ]Add your name to NARAL Pro-Choice America’s petition demanding the FDA
remove medically unnecessary restrictions on medication abortion now.
Doctors, physician’s assistants, nurses, midwives, and other healthcare
providers' first priority is to provide compassionate, effective medical
care to our patients.
I trust my patients to know what’s best for their own lives and
circumstances — and if someone decides to end a pregnancy, I offer the
safest, most effective treatment available to ensure they can determine
the best course for their lives and futures.
Political interference is making it harder and harder for medical
professionals to provide essential, time-sensitive reproductive
healthcare. We can’t be silent while politicians tell doctors and patients
what is and isn’t essential healthcare.
[ [link removed] ]Add your name to call on the FDA to lift mifepristone restrictions
here.
Thank you for taking action,
[5]Photo of Dr. Sara Imershein MD, MPH, FACOG
Sara Imershein MD, MPH, FACOG
Board member, NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation
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Sources:
1. [ [link removed] ]Medication Abortion, Guttmacher Institute, Nov. 2019.
2. [ [link removed] ]Time to Reevaluate U.S. Mifepristone Restrictions, The New England
Journal of Medicine, Aug. 15, 2019.
3. [ [link removed] ]Improving Access to Mifepristone for Reproductive Health
Indications, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, June
2018.
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