Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) modified the REMS restrictions from mifepristone, one of the medications used in medication abortion care.
President & CEO Dr. Jamila Perritt, ob/gyn in DC, responds:
“Today we celebrate the FDA’s long awaited decision to modify medically unnecessary restrictions on mifepristone once and for all. This affirms what our community of physician advocates knows to be true and has known to be true for over twenty years: abortion care is safe, and restrictions on abortion care only harm people accessing this essential care.
“This decision follows the science, something we could only hope for from our nation’s regulatory body on medications. And the science shows that medication abortion care is safe to administer via telehealth. We knew this before the pandemic, and during this ongoing public health emergency, telehealth became a critical way for health care providers to offer this essential care while we all attempted to reduce exposure to the COVID-19 virus. This should have always been an option for pregnant patients and we’re relieved this is now possible.
“While this decision is a game changer, it is not the solution. Despite the FDA’s action, states across the country continue to impose medically unnecessary, dangerous restrictions on medication abortion care. We will keep the work up until all people, no matter where they live, can get the care they need.”
