At FPA Women’s Health, we utilize the safest and most effective regimen for medication abortion.
On April 7, 2023 Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk issued a decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA. The decision attempted to rescind the FDA’s approval of the medication, mifepristone. The immediate impact of the court’s decision was delayed for seven days to allow the Biden Administration to file an emergency appeal.
Then on April 13th, 2023 the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision which refused to block the order from the lower court unleashing further chaos and confusion. Later the same day, the Department of Justice filed an appeal to the Supreme Court asking them to restore full access to mifepristone following the Fifth Circuit’s decision.
We all know the decision by Judge Kacsmaryk is not based in medicine or science. Medication abortion using Mifepristone and Misoprostol is exceptionally safe and highly effective. Since Mifepristone’s initial approval in 2000, it has been used by millions of people to end their pregnancies. In fact, in 2021 over half of abortions in the U.S. were medication abortions using Mifepristone/misoprostol regimen. This real-world experience coupled by more than 100 research publications in peer-reviewed journals supports Mifepristone’s well-documented safety record. In addition, leading medical and scientific organizations, including the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Physicians, have continued to recognize the safety and efficacy of mifepristone and recommend its use in obstetric and abortion care.
At FPA Women’s Health we have not made any changes to our clinical protocol for medication abortion and are optimistic that our country’s system of checks and balances will function as designed to legally protect our provision to patients of the safest and most effective regimen for medication abortion (which includes Mifepristone). If legally forced, we are prepared to offer an alternative regimen for medication abortion with misoprostol alone, but this single medication is less effective and has more side-effects than in combination with mifepristone.
The FDA was established as an independent organization, to utilize the best evidence and science to determine and dictate the safety and efficacy of new medications. We have checks and balances in our judicial system, specifically for these extreme circumstances: to prevent one rogue Judge from having the power to disrupt reproductive freedom for millions.
This case is bigger than Texas, bigger than abortion. This case will clarify whether as a nation, we believe that scientists and doctors can practice according to science and evidence or whether we believe the political leaders can decide the fate of our health based on their own moral compass. We are hopeful justice will prevail.
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