The Quickie: Dozens Of New Amicus Briefs Sound The Alarm On Protecting Medication Abortion

Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.

In today’s Quickie: Elected officials and organizations file amicus briefs in support of protecting medication abortion, and PPMT director Dr. Dickman highlights research on the impact of abortion bans on rape-related pregnancies.

DOZENS OF NEW AMICUS BRIEFS SOUND THE ALARM ON PROTECTING MEDICATION ABORTION: Underscoring the unprecedented nature of a lawsuit that could wreak havoc on abortion access nationwide, scores of elected officials and organizations filed new amicus briefs in advance of the Supreme Court oral arguments in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The case challenges evidence-based actions by the FDA that expanded access to mifepristone and will determine the conditions under which the medicine, which is commonly used for medication abortion, can remain on the market. Nearly three dozen briefs submitted point to the outrage over a politically charged maneuver to rob people of the right to control their own bodies. Oral arguments will be held on March 26. 

From the brief submitted by 237 reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations —  including Planned Parenthood Federation of America:

“Restrictions on mifepristone would have widespread detrimental consequences. The Fifth Circuit’s decision reimposes a burdensome in-person dispensing requirement and narrows the types of medical professionals who can become certified prescribers. As a  result of these restrictions, even people in states where abortion remains legal and protected could find themselves unable to timely access mifepristone, imperiling access to abortion and jeopardizing the health and autonomy of those denied care. Clinics and providers—including several amici—could find themselves unable to effectively provide competent and much-needed medical care.

“Far from protecting patient health, the Fifth Circuit’s decision will have severe and damaging consequences unsupported by law or science. The decision should be reversed.”

From the largest sexual and reproductive health brief in Congressional history, filed by 263 members of Congress:

“...this Court’s reversal of the Fifth Circuit’s order with respect to FDA’s 2016 and 2021 actions is necessary to mitigate the imminent harm facing members of the public, many of whom rely on the availability of mifepristone for reproductive care—and many more of whom rely on the integrity of FDA’s drug approval process for continued access to life-improving and lifesaving drugs. Congress intended to—and did—vest authority in FDA to evaluate and ensure the safety and efficacy of drugs in the United States…”

Read more here.

 

THE NEW ABNORMAL: SHOCKING POST-ROE RAPE STUDY — Dr. Samuel Dickman, medical director at Planned Parenthood of Montana, joined The New Abnormal podcast to discuss new research that estimated 65 thousand rape-related pregnancies since the overturning of Roe last year. Dr. Dickman, an abortion doctor in Texas before moving to Montana to continue providing care, shares his experiences working with patients seeking abortion access who are assault survivors. 

“I think the more we can acknowledge that it's a critically important service that so many people have benefited from and hopefully will continue to benefit from, the better. Part of destigmatizing abortion is just being able to talk about it in all its forms, whether that's for someone who has a major complication during pregnancy and needs an abortion to save her life, whether it's for a survivor of rape who, if forced to continue that pregnancy, would also be forced to remain in a relationship with their abuser, or whether it's for the mother of three who can't afford and doesn't want to have another child. You know, all of those patients deserve to be able to access medical care, and all of them are important to talk about.”

Listen to the full episode here.