The attorneys general of New York, California, Massachusetts and New Jersey asked the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand access to mifepristone, which is the first of two pills taken by a pregnant woman when she is undergoing a “medication abortion,” also known as a “chemical abortion.”
When a woman undergoes this type of abortion, the mifepristone stops the unborn baby from growing. The follow-up pill, misoprostol, expels the baby from the woman’s body. Democrats have pushed for this type of medication to be available through telemedicine, where a woman doesn’t visit a doctor in-person beforehand. Additionally, some Democrats have expressed wanting these drugs available over-the-counter.
The abortion pill:
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) January 15, 2025
Has killed over 5.9 million babies, per FDA data
It kills up to 10 weeks old by cutting off oxygen & vital nutrients to the baby
The baby then dies & labor is induced to expel the dead baby.
We must protect these babies.
🎥 10-week-old baby pic.twitter.com/J6vIx5P4Jl
The attorneys general asked the agency to remove what they believe are outdated and unnecessary restrictions (via Reuters):
The petition challenges FDA requirements that mifepristone prescribers be included in national and local abortion provider lists, patients attest in writing that they intend to end their pregnancies, and pharmacies perform a variety of recordkeeping.
Citing the drug's safety record, it said those rules, part of the FDA's Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy program, are "no longer justified by science or law," especially in states where abortion is legal and comprehensively regulated.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said the rules keep mifepristone out of reach of most primary care settings. She called that problem particularly acute in rural and other areas where getting abortions often requires lengthy travel.
"There is simply no scientific or medical reason to subject it to such extraordinary restrictions," James said, referring to mifepristone. "The FDA must follow the science."
Last month, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Congress that he directed FDA Commissioner Marty Makary to review the pill.
In a statement, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services said FDA Commissioner Makary "will ensure gold standard science is used while incorporating practical, common-sense considerations to its regulatory processes."
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