In early April, Texas federal judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled in favor of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine’s lawsuit against the FDA approval of mifepristone, a prescription medication used for abortion. Mifepristone is currently the first of a two-step process, alongside misoprostol, for performing a first-trimester medical abortion. This ruling has several potentially significant ramifications. First, it comes as the next legal attack against patient access to abortion services following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, to which APAMSA has previously responded. Second, the current standard of practice for medical abortions in the United States requires both mifepristone and misoprostol because misoprostol alone, while relatively safe and effective, is still less effective than combination therapy. Third, some worry that these legal challenges warn of future dangers to the legal status and accessibility of misoprostol as well.

On Friday, April 21st, the Supreme Court announced that it would delay the restrictions against mifepristone, which will remain accessible until additional legal debate runs its course. The lawsuit is expected to make its way through the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and eventually back to the Supreme Court.

APAMSA supports the Supreme Court’s decision to protect mifepristone access. As stated in multiple official statements and, most recently, in our official policy compendium as Resolution 10.010, we uphold the importance of protecting access to abortion services. We therefore urge the Supreme Court to maintain its commitment to keeping safe, effective abortion services widely available. We stand with all other healthcare organizations that are also committed to speaking against these threats to the health and welfare of our AANHPI communities and beyond.