John—
Restrictions on medication abortion are not medically necessary, and refusing to lift them during the COVID-19 pandemic flies in the face of expert advice from healthcare providers.
Rather than taking action to protect public health, Republicans are using the COVID-19 pandemic as a smokescreen to try to ban abortion.
It’s more important than ever that the FDA act to improve access to medication abortion. Add your name to call on FDA commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn to lift the restrictions on medication abortion now →
As the crisis has continued, anti-choice politicians have doubled-down on ignoring science in favor of ideology by blocking access to abortion care using all kinds of disinformation, including claiming that abortion is elective rather than essential healthcare.1
We can see through their hypocrisy. Their agenda is about controlling our bodies and our freedoms, plain and simple.
When Dr. Stephen Hahn was confirmed as FDA commissioner, he made clear that his decisions would be guided by “data and science congruent with the law.”2
Well, the data says mifepristone is one of the safest, most effective medications on the market.3 The medical experts at the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology endorse lifting these restrictions to ensure doctors can deliver the highest quality of patient care — and so does former FDA Commissioner Dr. Jane Henney.4,5
FDA Commissioner Hahn needs to follow through on his public commitment to put science over ideology by lifting the medically unnecessary restrictions on medication abortion now. Add your name to keep up the pressure →
Recently, Senators Patty Murray, Elizabeth Warren, and Tammy Baldwin joined the chorus of voices imploring the FDA to put public health over ideology and allow mifepristone to be dispensed at pharmacies and through the mail to prevent people from being forced to travel far from their homes to access abortion care and unnecessarily risk exposure to the coronavirus.6,7
At a time when all of us are being asked to do our part to prevent the spread of the virus and protect ourselves and our neighbors, the FDA needs to step up to help to flatten the curve.
Medication abortion is safe and effective. It needs to be more readily available during this unprecedented crisis. But a tangled web of state and federal restrictions continue to block people seeking abortion care from getting the essential, time-sensitive healthcare they need.
It's not just about one state, one agency, or one elected official: This is a national crisis for reproductive freedom — and we must take action. Lifting these medically unnecessary federal restrictions on medication abortion is an important first step.
Add your name to call on FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn to lift the restrictions on medication abortion now →
Thank you for all you do for reproductive freedom,
Kate Ryan
Director of Government Relations, NARAL Pro-Choice America
ADD YOUR NAME
Sources:
- Opinion | I’m an OB-GYN. Halting abortions won’t help supply shortage., Bridge, Apr. 8, 2020.
- Five things you should know about Stephen Hahn, the new FDA commissioner, MarketWatch, Dec. 13, 2019.
- Medication Abortion, Guttmacher Institute, Nov. 2019.
- Improving Access to Mifepristone for Reproductive Health Indications, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Jun. 2018.
- Time to Reevaluate U.S. Mifepristone Restrictions, New England Journal of Medicine, Aug. 15, 2019.
- Female Senators Urge FDA To Loosen Restrictions On Medication Abortion, Huffington Post, Apr. 14, 2020.
- It’s Time For A Revolution In At-Home Abortion, Huffington Post, Apr. 8, 2020.
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