Planned Parenthood will continue to offer medication abortion in New Hampshire
For Immediate Release: April 10, 2023
Texas ruling threatens use of most common medication abortion protocol in the U.S.
CONCORD, NH – A federal district court judge Friday issued a ruling that would make the most common protocol for medication abortion in the United States unlawful; however, it does not go into effect for at least seven days. The Department of Justice has already appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to seek a stay.
At least until April 14, mifepristone remains safe, legal, and available throughout the country. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England health centers in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont will continue to offer medication abortion using the mifepristone protocol until further notice. If necessary, PPNNE is prepared to pivot to a single drug medication abortion protocol using misoprostol, the second of the two drugs in the standard protocol. While a misoprostol-only medication abortion is just as safe as a mifepristone/misoprostol combination abortion, it is less effective and can cause more complications than the mifepristone/misoprostol approach. In addition, multiple doses of misoprostol may be required for each patient.
The judge’s ruling in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration is the latest in a long series of politically motivated attacks by anti-abortion extremists who seek to ban abortion nationwide. While the ruling occurred in a Texas court, because it would revoke the Federal Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone – which happened in 2000 – the ruling affects every state in the country, even those with protections for abortion in their state laws or constitutions.
Statement from Andrea Pelletier, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England:
“This ruling is an unprecedented attack on the reproductive rights and freedoms of every American. This case, strategically filed by anti-abortion extremists who have relied on junk science to pursue their agenda to insert politics into medical care nationwide, will only serve to further harm patients and medical providers.
Mifepristone is a safe and effective drug approved by the FDA more than 20 years ago, and the mifepristone/misoprostol medication abortion protocol has been the safe, effective standard for years. While we are outraged at Friday’s ruling, we want to be clear –- medication abortion is still available.
Every person deserves access to safe, effective health care when they need it, without interference from non-medical actors with political agendas. Private medical decisions should be between providers and their patients, and Friday’s ruling is just the latest attempt by political forces to insert themselves where they don’t belong.
Our commitment to safe, effective health care remains, and we expect to continue serving our patients in every way we can -- no matter what.”
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Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) is the largest provider of reproductive and sexual health care across the State of New Hampshire. We serve New Hampshire residents through 5 health centers in Derry, Exeter, Keene, Manchester and White River Junction, VT. Last year we saw more than 10,000 patients at these sites. PPNNE was named a 2021 and 2022 Guardian of Excellence Award® winner by Press Ganey, the national leader in health care consumer and workforce engagement. Press Ganey recognizes PPNNE as a top-performing health care organization, achieving the 95th percentile or above for performance in patient experience, out of more than 20,000 medical practices