The case being heard before the Supreme Court this week has nothing to do with patient safety, as the anti-abortion groups that brought the lawsuit claim. Decades of research show that mifepristone is safe or safer than any other commonly used drugs, including penicillin and acetaminophen. It’s clear this attack is political in nature and part of a larger effort to ban abortion nationwide.
Let me be clear: mifepristone and misoprostol remain available in the State of Maine at this time. Should the Supreme Court restrict access to mifepristone, Maine Family Planning will continue to provide access to medication abortion through a misoprostol-only regimen approved by the World Health Organization and endorsed by the National Abortion Federation and the Society of Family Planning.
While the two-medication protocol is the recommended best practice for patient care, research shows that a misoprostol-only regimen is as safe and effective. Maine Family Planning is also considering other options that may allow for continued use of mifepristone in some cases should the Supreme Court rule to restrict the drug. In-clinic abortions will continue at the Parker F. Harris and Russell N. DeJong Jr. Center for Reproductive Health in Augusta.
