WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Senator Angus King released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled that the abortion drug, Mifepristone, will remain available while the case is heard by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, was reviewed for emergency action by the Supreme Court after a federal judge in Texas suspended the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of Mifepristone because of illegitimate safety concerns. Mifepristone has been approved by the FDA for use in the United States since September 2000, and a generic version since April 2019. Nearly 85 other countries around the world also approve the use of these drugs.

Last week, King and 252 other Members of Congress urged the Court to keep the drug available while the case is in the appeal process.

“Last week, I joined hundreds of my colleagues in requesting that the Court halt the Texas ruling that banned Mifepristone. I am relieved that the Supreme Court agreed with the clear legal precedents in allowing Mifepristone to remain available throughout this legal process,” said Senator King. “For decades, millions of women in the United States, and around the world, have safely chosen to use Mifepristone to terminate pregnancies, manage miscarriages, and make their own healthcare decisions. Though the Texas judge falsely claimed his decision was made based on safety concerns, the resulting consequences would have forced women to go through more burdensome processes or choose downright unsafe alternatives.

“It should not be up to the government to decide if a parent is ready or able to have a child nor should it be up to the courts to decide if a drug is safe for use; this is the point of having food and medical board experts,” King continued. “Allowing the FDA’s peer-reviewed, data-based approval of mifepristone to continue – an approval validated by a 99.6 percent safe and effective use rate over decades– means that millions of women in the country will be able to continue making their own healthcare decisions. As the Fifth Circuit hears this case, I hope they evaluate the potentially dangerous precedent if the drug is taken off the market as I worry this ruling sets a slippery slope for the rejection of other effective drugs in the future.”

Senator King has been a strong supporter of a woman’s right to reproductive healthcare. He opposed the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade calling it “a dangerous, blatantly political ruling that will rob millions of women the fundamental right to make decisions about their own health, safety, and lives.” Prior to the Supreme Court’s ruling, King voted to advance the Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation which would codify the longstanding precedent of Roe v. Wade into federal law and protect the right to these vital healthcare decisions.

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