Bauer comments on U.S. Supreme Court ruling on access to mifepristone

Thursday, June 13, the United States Supreme Court unanimously rejected the legal challenge to the drug mifepristone. This action preserves access to this medication across the U.S. 

SCOTUS announced that the group of anti-abortion doctors' efforts to question the FDA lacked the legal standing to bring forth a federal case. The medication, mifepristone, is commonly used for both medical abortions and miscarriage management and was first approved by the FDA in 2000. As part of a two-drug protocol in combination with the drug misoprostol, the medication has been declared as safe and effective for over two decades.  

State Rep. Maureen Bauer (D-South Bend) issued the following statements on the ruling: 

“While the near-total abortion ban remains in place in the state of Indiana, the lack of standing in this Supreme Court Case should be a step in the right direction toward protecting women's access to essential healthcare. Mifepristone is proven to be safe, effective, and necessary for women and their reproductive health care. For the 20% of women who tragically lose a pregnancy to miscarriage, mifepristone is the first in the recommended two-drug protocol. When the second drug, misoprostol, is taken alone, the physical and emotional pain of a miscarriage can last for months.  

“Abortion is healthcare. Any future challenge to restrict access to mifepristone should be rejected, and the decision should remain between the patient and doctor. The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA is yet another effort by anti-abortion groups to restrict access to medically necessary treatments for women based on radical ideology.

“While I am glad that mifepristone remains available for women who need it, this battle is not over. My fellow House Democrats and I will continue working to keep personal medical decisions between a woman and her doctor.”