New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with 19 other state attorneys general, has issued a joint statement defending the safety and efficacy of mifepristone following the announcement by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary that the FDA will review the abortion medication.
“For more than 25 years, mifepristone has been used safely and effectively in the United States and globally. It is currently the most common method for early-term abortion care in the United States and is the standard of care for managing early miscarriage. The decision to reexamine access to this medication was made in response to a scientifically baseless letter and ignores decades of research that prove mifepristone is safe and effective. Medical decisions should be left between patients, their families, and their providers – and they should be guided by science, not political agendas.
“As state attorneys general, we have a responsibility to enforce state laws and protect our residents, including their access to reproductive care. If access to mifepristone is challenged, we will take action to protect it.”
Attorney General James has previously taken several actions related to reproductive rights. She recently moved to intervene in a case involving New York’s abortion shield law, sued to prevent federal defunding of Planned Parenthood, petitioned the FDA to remove restrictions on mifepristone, led efforts reminding hospitals about emergency abortion care obligations, opposed certification requirements for abortion providers, won a lawsuit against Red Rose Rescue for blocking abortion access in New York, filed amicus briefs supporting emergency abortion care and access to mifepristone, and sued an anti-abortion group over unproven treatments.
The attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington State and the District of Columbia joined Attorney General James in releasing this statement.
