Mass. A.G. Expresses Support for Abortion Access

May 8, 2023

Photo courtesy of WhatsNext

HYANNIS – Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has joined a multi state coalition in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in a continued effort to protect abortion medication access.

The brief will argue that the decision, issued by a district court judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, would do harm to Americans’ access to the abortion drug called mifepristone.

“Individuals should be able to make their own decisions regarding their healthcare, and should have access to the medications needed in that care – including abortion medication,” said Campbell.

“I am joining my colleagues to urge the courts to reverse this callous and legally indefensible decision made by a single judge in Texas to withdraw mifepristone from the market, in spite of the decades of research, evidence, and continued usage demonstrating its safety and effectiveness,” Campbell said.

A coalition of 24 attorneys general filed the amicus brief, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, which argues that the FDA’s determination that the medication abortion drug mifepristone is safe and effective and is supported by a medical consensus developed over more than two decades of use.

The coalition is also arguing that the FDA’s regulatory actions, including authorizing the generic version of the drug, permitting qualified clinicians other than physicians to authorize its usage, and enabling distribution by mail, are all backed by evidence and research.

Along with Attorney General Campbell, the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico and eight others will be joining the filing.