Today, the United States Supreme Court announced its decision to hear the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA in the new year. This reckless, unprecedented case—pursued by anti-abortion, far-right extremists—seeks to pull FDA approval of the medication abortion pill, Mifepristone, barring access to a safe and effective drug that millions of Americans have relied on to terminate their pregnancies. While the court considers the case, Whole Woman’s Health will continue to prescribe Mifepristone to any patient in our care seeking a medication abortion.
“Absolutely nothing changes for us with this announcement,” said Amy Hagstrom Miller, President and CEO of Whole Woman’s Health and Whole Woman’s Health Alliance. “As medical providers, we take our instructions from the FDA, not from far-right, political courts, and we will continue to offer mifepristone through both our in-clinic and virtual programs. We know that mifepristone is safe and effective, and our dedicated medical staff will continue to prescribe it, ensuring that our patients have access to the expert care they deserve.”
Mifepristone is part of a two-part medication abortion regimen that is paired with the drug misoprostol to end first-trimester pregnancies. Patients take a single dosage of mifepristone first, followed by a 4-pill dose of misoprostol 24 to 48 hours later. The FDA first approved mifepristone over twenty years ago. Today, more than two decades of research have found the drug to be safe and effective in terminating pregnancies and managing miscarriage.
Medication abortions account for more than half of all abortions in the United States, and 98% of medication abortions use mifepristone. Access to these pills is crucial to the provision of abortion care, especially in our post-Roe landscape, where abortion is currently banned in 14 states and severely restricted in others. At our clinics across the country, patients can receive medication abortions up to 11 weeks through both in-clinic and virtual care (abortion pills by mail) services.
“Anti-abortion extremists are trying to push abortion care further out of reach. They want to ignore decades of scientific research as well as the will of the vast majority of American people who strongly support abortion access,” said Hagstrom Miller. “Here is the truth: there is no medically accurate reason to withdraw access to Mifepristone for anyone in this country. Regardless of the latest update to this case, Whole Woman’s Health is proud to continue to offer this essential medication to our patients.”
Whole Woman’s Health has been using mifepristone for in-clinic medication abortion since it opened in 2003. Since 2021, Whole Woman’s Health Virtual Care has served over 4,100 patients with medication abortion pills by mail.
Today’s decision to hear the case is the next chapter in the campaign to disrupt abortion care across the country. In April, Texas Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled in favor of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine and suspended FDA approval of Mifepristone. Within days, the United States Department of Justice appealed this decision to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. In late April, the United States Supreme Court issued a temporary stay momentarily preventing any restrictions from taking effect and sent the case to the Fifth Circuit. In August, the Fifth Circuit Court ruled to reinstate the pre-2016 restrictions, which prohibit the provision of mifepristone by mail and through telemedicine. However, the Supreme Court’s earlier order prevented these restrictions from taking effect. In September, the Justice Department again appealed the case to the Supreme Court.
###
About Whole Woman’s Health Alliance: Whole Woman’s Health Alliance (WWHA) works to strategically shift the stigma around abortion in our culture and is committed to fostering open and honest conversations, lifting all communities, and transforming the abortion care environment. WWHA is a 501(c)3 organization leading powerful stigma eradication, culture change, and community education work across the United States. The work is rooted in and informed by direct service work delivering high-quality abortion care around the country. WWHA’s operates clinics in Bloomington, MN, and Charlottesville, VA. We are committed to maintaining clinics in challenging places where access to quality abortion care is under attack.
For more information: www.wholewomanshealthalliance.org
About Whole Woman’s Health: Whole Woman’s Health (WWH) is a privately-owned healthcare organization committed to providing holistic reproductive health care. Clinics managed by WWH provide comprehensive gynecology services, including abortion care, in communities where access to abortion is most restricted. It is our philosophy that everyone must be at the center of their own healthcare decisions and that treating patients holistically will better serve and improve health and happiness in our communities. WWH manages five clinics in Albuquerque, NM, Bloomington, MN, Baltimore, MD; Charlottesville, VA; and Alexandria, VA. WWH also offers virtual abortion care services in New Mexico, Maryland, and Illinois, Virginia, and Minnesota.
For more information: www.wholewomanshealth.com
Media Contacts:
Jared Lathrop, Dir. of Marketing & Communications, WWH & WWHA
Sara Hutchinson, Communications Manager, WWH & WWHA
[email protected]