Pro-Choice Caucus Co-Chairs Applaud FDA Decision to Suspend Restriction on Mifepristone
Washington, DC – Pro-Choice Caucus Co-Chairs Barbara Lee (CA-13) and Diana DeGette (CO-01) today applauded the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) letter to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) indicating that it will halt enforcement of the medically unnecessary in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone.
“It is cruel to restrict access to abortion care at any time, but it is especially dangerous during a global health crisis,” said the lawmakers. “The unnecessary in-person dispensing requirement forces many patients to take public transportation or travel long distances to receive care — increasing their risk of exposure to COVID-19 while also putting medical staff at risk with increased in-person interactions.”
“We applaud the FDA’s decision to suspend enforcement of the in-person dispensing requirement from the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) on mifepristone, which will help ensure the safety of patients and increase access to essential care during the pandemic and beyond. We urge the FDA to conduct a full review of the restrictions around mifepristone to ensure that patients aren’t subjected to medically unnecessary obstacles once the public health emergency ends.”
Co-Chairs Lee and DeGette led 155 members in filing an amicus brief in the case of American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists v. United States Food and Drug Administration (ACOG v. FDA), challenging the FDA’s in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawmakers also led pro-choice members in a letter opposing the previous administration’s refusal to relax rules around medication abortion.