URGE’s Statement on SCOTUS Allowing Mifepristone via Telehealth to Continue

Statement by Kaanan Raja, State Policy Director at URGE: Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity

Access is hanging by a thread, and this case demonstrates it bluntly. For now, we can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Mifepristone remains accessible via telehealth and by mail, but we know this fight is not over. This case has already created chaos and confusion around access to essential healthcare across the country. 

People in their 20s account for more than half of abortions in the U.S., and many are already navigating systemic barriers to healthcare while also balancing school, work, caregiving, and economic insecurity. Black, Indigenous, transgender, queer, nonbinary young people, and other young people of color benefit from telehealth options to healthcare. For too many people,  restricting mail access and rolling back telehealth would have meant taking unpaid time off work, traveling long distances or out of state, and securing childcare to meet the in-person requirement, and/or being forced to continue a pregnancy against their will. 

Again, this is a moment of relief – but not of rest. We know this fight is all but over. But we also know that we have taken on each challenge extremists have put before us. We will continue to support each other, fight for each other, and lean on each other. Because the young people of this country deserve rights over their pregnancies, rights over access to their health care, and rights to make the best decision for themselves and their families without political interference.”