PPNNE Statement in Response to U.S. Supreme Court’s Announcement Regarding Medication Abortion Case
For Immediate Release: Dec. 13, 2023
COLCHESTER, VT – Today, the Supreme Court of the United States announced it will consider a court challenge to the Federal Drug Administration's approval of mifepristone.
Mifepristone is a safe and effective drug that was first approved by the FDA more than 20 years ago, has since been used by more than five million people in the U.S. to safely end their pregnancies, and is used in over half of all abortions in the United States.
Below is a statement from Nicole Clegg, Interim CEO, Planned Parenthood Northern New England in response to today’s Supreme Court announcement:
“Mifepristone is safe. Mifepristone is legal. And Mifepristone continues to be available to patients seeking abortion care at Planned Parenthood of Northern New England health centers in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, and through our telehealth program.
“For more than 20 years, medication abortion has been an essential option for patients, has enabled access to abortion care at times when a health center visit was not an option, and has allowed patients to make private medical decisions.
“While we will continue to follow the outcome of this Supreme Court case, rest assured that medication abortion is accessible and available in our region.”
About the case: A group of anti-abortion activists and organizations sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over its approval of mifepristone, one of two medications most commonly used in medication abortion in the United States. In the case that originated in Texas, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration et al, the plaintiffs asked the court to order the FDA to rescind its approval of mifepristone from more than 20 years ago, in order to remove it from the market. On April 21st, the Supreme Court of the United States granted the stay requested by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Danco in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration et al. allowing mifepristone’s FDA approval to remain unchanged as the case proceeds through the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. This case will now be heard at the Supreme Court.
For more information about this case and medication abortion, click here.