Today, Physicians for Reproductive Health, represented by Fried Frank, filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court urging for a stay of Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s order, attempting to void the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, an essential medication in full-spectrum reproductive health care.
The brief affirms the safety and efficacy of mifepristone and includes first-hand accounts from trained, expert health care professionals who provide abortion care, on the importance of access to mifepristone. PRH President & CEO Dr. Jamila Perritt alongside, PRH Board Member Dr. Bhavik Kumar, and PRH Fellows Dr. Aishat Olatunde, Dr. Nisha Verma, Dr. Mae Winchester, Dr. Michael Belmonte, Dr. Carolyn Sufrin, and Dr. Atsuko Koyama. In this brief, the doctors provide their firsthand perspectives on the adverse impact of restricting access to mifepristone.
The brief states:
Restricting access to mifepristone impedes patient autonomy and places providers in untenable positions
“Restricting access to mifepristone impedes patient autonomy and places providers in untenable positions. Patients have a right to make decisions about their medical care. To protect this autonomy, providers are ethically obligated to inform their patients of the risks and benefits of different courses of treatment and to honor a patient’s decision on which course of treatment is best for them. However, this right is curtailed when providers cannot offer to a patient a course of treatment incorporating mifepristone, even if such care is medically appropriate, considered the standard of care, and the benefits and risks are adequately communicated to and understood by the patient. Under these circumstances, providers are placed in the ethically challenging position of being unable to legally present their patients with all potential evidence-based treatments.”
“For nearly 25 years, mifepristone has been an essential medication used in full-spectrum reproductive health care in the United States. Mifepristone is prescribed on a regular basis by providers nationwide and around the world and is viewed as the standard of care in many procedures, obstetric care, medication abortion, and miscarriage management.”
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments about access to mifepristone on March 26, 2024. For firsthand accounts from our Fellows, Board Members, and President & CEO, please read the full brief.