Today, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito issued an administrative stay of the Texas District Court order on mifepristone that would have gone into effect at midnight tonight. The stay is in effect until 11:59 PM on April 19, 2023. This means that abortion access, including access to medication abortion with mifepristone, remains unimpacted until further notice.
Dr. Jamila Perritt, ob/gyn and abortion provider in Washington DC and President & CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health responds:
“Today, after days of chaos and confusion spurred by the most recent and dangerous attempts of judges to intervene in essential, time-sensitive, medical care, the Supreme Court has temporarily stopped Judge Kacsmaryk’s dangerous and unprecedented order. We, a community of health care providers, know first-hand that mifepristone is a safe and effective medication. Patients should have access to whatever they need, including medication to manage abortion and miscarriage care, as they seek to actualize the full spectrum of their sexual and reproductive well-being.
We implore the courts to respect decades of science and research and rule in favor of the health and needs of our communities…
“While we all await the next steps in this litigation and brace for the fight ahead, we will continue to show up, take good care of our communities, and provide compassionate person-centered care. While we are relieved that, for the next few days, abortion access can continue uninterrupted in places where pre-existing abortion bans exist on the state level, we also deeply understand that this brief respite is not universally experienced. Let me be abundantly clear: no person’s health care decisions should be impacted by the whims of politicians or judges. Abortion is necessary health care and should be available to our communities without barrier, delay, or stigma.
“We implore the courts to respect decades of science and research and rule in favor of the health and needs of our communities, but most importantly, we call on them to respect and uphold our human rights. People who need abortions, support abortions, and provide abortions are not going anywhere. We will continue to fight. We will continue to resist.”
