URGE Statement on Louisiana v. Food and Drug Administration
On May 1, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a dangerous ruling to halt access to Mifepristone across the country. While the U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily blocked the 5th Circuit’s ruling, this case is unearthing a chilling effect for access that is compounded by criminalization of abortion and those who support people seeking care. As we wait for a ruling from SCOTUS, let us be clear: Mifepristone was safe and effective when the FDA first approved it over 25 years ago and it remains safe today when prescribed via telehealth. None of these changes are based on science or are medically necessary. A negative decision by SCOTUS could effectively end telehealth abortion care, retail pharmacy dispensing, the mailing of abortion pills nationwide, and the power states have over federal drug rules, posing a major obstacle to access.
Statement from Daniela Diaz, Senior Federal Policy & Advocacy Director at URGE: Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity
For more than 20 years, Mifepristone has been a cornerstone of essential reproductive healthcare serving as an effective way to end a pregnancy or manage a miscarriage. At URGE: Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, we know exactly who will be most impacted by any changes to the availability of Mifepristone: young people, particularly Black, Indigenous, transgender, queer, nonbinary, and people of color. People in their 20s account for more than half of abortions in the U.S.—they are students working toward degrees, workers juggling multiple jobs, and parents raising young children. Blocking Mifepristone by mail would add yet another barrier for people to get the essential healthcare they need.
No one should be forced to remain pregnant simply because they cannot afford to travel to a clinic.
Halting access to Mifepristone by mail and requiring in-person visits would also cause irreparable harm across the South and Midwest, where access to care is already severely restricted. But make no mistake, the impact won’t stop there—it would reach every state in the country. It threatens to affect not only people seeking abortion care, but also those in need of treatment for miscarriage management.
Decades of research have proven that Mifepristone is safe and effective, and that providing it via telehealth and mailing the medication is just as safe as providing the medication in person. These attacks on Mifepristone are politically motivated, and part of a larger coordinated attempt to ban abortion altogether.
At URGE, we believe everyone deserves access to the full range of healthcare they need on their own terms, including abortion. Regardless of any rulings, we will not be deterred. We will continue fighting for a just and equitable future where everyone has the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies, their lives, and their futures.
