FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Doctors for America
PO Box 53313
1921 Florida Ave NW
Washington, DC 20009-9997
April 25, 2023
Doctors for America Statement and the Reproductive Health Coalition Statement on the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Mifepristone
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Doctors for America and the Reproductive Health Coalition applaud the U.S. Supreme Court decision to stay Judge Kacsmaryk’s decision in the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA case, pending appeal. The Court’s decision allows continued access to mifepristone, a medication that has been safely used by physicians and patients for over 20 years.
The Supreme Court’s decision to stay lower court orders that could have eliminated or severely restricted access to mifepristone is a temporary victory for patient safety nationwide, but the threat of putting politics over patients in the federal courts remains. Under law, the FDA is meant to have exclusive jurisdiction over drug approvals in the United States. The final outcome of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine case must ensure that medications in the United States will continue to be regulated based on scientific evidence, not political agendas.
Last week, Doctors for America, along with the Reproductive Health Coalition, filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court warning of the dangers any medically unnecessary restriction on access to mifepristone would create for patients and physicians. As the lawsuit continues, we will continue to raise physician voices and renounce political efforts to arbitrarily remove a drug from market.
For press inquiries for Doctors for America or the Reproductive Health Coalition regarding clinician members willing to speak on this issue please contact Claire Onyechi with Continuum Health Group ([email protected]). For press inquiries to the legal team at Columbia Law School, please contact Christopher Morten ([email protected]).
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About Doctors for America:
Doctors for America mobilizes doctors and medical students to be leaders in putting patients over politics to improve the health of our patients, communities, and nation. We are 27,000 physicians and medical students in all 50 states, representing all areas of specialization. Our impact areas focus on access to affordable care, community health and prevention, and health justice and equity. DFA focuses solely on what is best for our patients, not on the business side of medicine, and does not accept any funding from pharmaceutical or medical device companies. This uniquely positions DFA as the organization that puts patients over politics and patients over profits. Find out more at doctorsforamerica.org and on Twitter @drsforamerica.
About DFA’s Amicus Brief:
The Supreme Court amicus brief was filed on behalf of DFA and the RHC by Columbia Law School’s Science, Health & Information Clinic (SHIC). SHIC provides pro bono legal help to DFA. Columbia Law student attorneys Emily Davidson and Matt Tracy led work on the brief, with support from student attorneys David Ratnoff, Keerthi Manimaran, and Rubí Rodriguez, SHIC Director Christopher Morten, and Dallas attorney Thomas Leatherbury.
The brief filed for the Supreme Court of the United States can be found here. DFA’s earlier amicus brief filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in February in the case of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA can be found here, and the brief filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit can be found here.
About the Reproductive Health Coalition
The Reproductive Health Coalition (RHC) is a wide-range of health professional associations and allied organizations who advocate with a unified voice to protect access to essential reproductive care. The tenets of this work include: a patient’s right to dignity, autonomy, privacy, and the expectation of a trusted relationship with their clinician; protection of the clinician’s ethical obligation to provide care, including their access to comprehensive training; and a commitment to an evidence-based approach to policy and practice. Over 40 organizations participate in the RHC, collectively representing more than 150 million members. Click here for more information.