Late last night, the Food and Drug Administration shared by way of a letter to advocates at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that the in-person dispensing requirements on mifepristone, one of the medications used for medication abortion care, will be lifted until the end of the COVID-19 crisis.
Board Chair of Physicians for Reproductive Health and ob/gyn in New Jersey Dr. Kristyn Brandi responded with the following statement:
“The decision by the FDA to lift the medically unnecessary restrictions on mifepristone until the end of the global public health crisis is in line with what our community of physician advocates knows to be true and has known to be true before the pandemic: abortion care is safe, and restrictions on abortion care only harm people accessing this essential care.
“Medication abortion care is safe to administer via telehealth. We knew this before the pandemic, and during this ongoing emergency telehealth became a critical way for health care providers to offer this essential care while we all attempted to reduce exposure to the virus.
“This is not an end all solution. These restrictions should be lifted permanently and we will continue pushing the Biden Administration to make this a reality so that no matter your race, income, gender, sexuality, age, or zip code, people have equitable access to abortion care. In addition, many states still have bans on telehealth care and the FDA decision will not change the barriers to receiving comprehensive reproductive health care. We have much work to do, but this is a critical step in the right direction.”