September 2023 | View as Webpage
September 2023 | Last fall, anti-abortion groups filed a lawsuit challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone for medication abortion, citing "safety concerns.” This was despite decades of research confirming its safety and efficacy when used for medication abortion. In April, the Supreme Court ruled to maintain the status quo regarding mifepristone while the case moves through the courts.

Although the ruling has not yet gone into effect, last month, a conservative three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that while it was too late to challenge an FDA action from 2000, it would restrict access to medication abortion nationwide by eliminating telemedicine abortion, mail delivery, and pharmacist dispensing of the drug. It’s clear that this decision goes against research and will significantly limit abortion access. 

If the Supreme Court upholds the 5th Circuit’s ruling, it will have far-reaching negative consequences for patients and providers and would be contrary to scientific progress. “The research is clear that telehealth for medication abortion is as safe and effective as in-person care, with one in 10 abortions provided via telehealth,” explained Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH. During a time when all-out bans on abortion access are being enacted in states nationwide, this model of providing abortion care is critical.

Amid this legal battle over mifepristone, we continue to believe in the importance of research in advancing evidence-based policy, because we know what is possible when science leads the way. Earlier this summer, the FDA approved the first-ever, over-the-counter birth control pill in a historic decision for reproductive health policy. About a third of U.S. adults who have ever tried to obtain prescription contraception report barriers to access. Over-the-counter birth control pills make contraceptives far more accessible, removing medically unnecessary obstacles to accessing birth control. “If available equitably — meaning that they are priced affordably and fully covered by insurance — over-the-counter birth control pills will be a game-changer for communities impacted by systemic health inequities,” said ANSIRH Director Daniel Grossman, MD.

This victory was made possible by the tremendous efforts of the #FreeThePill coalition, where advocates, clinicians, ANSIRH and other researchers, and policymakers work together to create a future where contraceptives are accessible to everyone. 

We will continue to inform the most pressing debates on abortion and reproductive health, because when we do, we move closer to a future where everyone can live healthy lives. 
Data show pregnancy-specific alcohol policies are ineffective
The adverse outcomes of pregnant people’s alcohol consumption remain a public health concern in the U.S. After examining associations of pregnancy-specific alcohol policies with infant injuries and morbidities and maternal morbidities, ANSIRH’s Sarah Roberts, DrPh; Alex Schulte; and Claudia Zaugg, MPH; and colleagues found that these policies were not associated with improved health outcomes. In reality, some policies were associated with increased odds of at least one adverse infant or maternal outcome. "Singling out pregnant people for policies related to alcohol and drugs is not helping babies be healthier or safer, and in fact, it seems to be making it worse,” said Dr. Roberts. Read more.
In ‘Bishops and Bodies’ patients and providers at Catholic hospitals find their voice
One out of every six patients in the U.S. is treated in a Catholic hospital that follows religious directives prohibiting abortion, sterilization, contraception, treatments for miscarriage and gender confirmation, and other reproductive care. Drawing on rich interviews with patients and providers, Bishops and Bodies: Reproductive Care in American Catholic Hospitals, the latest book by Lori Freedman, PhD, reveals both how the bishops’ directives operate and how people inside Catholic hospitals navigate the resulting restrictions on medical practice. “Freedman’s book opens the door to several questions without easy answers,” wrote Elizabeth Reiner Platt in a review for Conscience Magazine. Learn more.
New research shows how abortion clinics are responding, one year since the Dobbs ruling
ANSIRH’s Abortion Facility Database team found that, since the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v. Wade one year ago, 1) abortion clinics across the country are offering care later in pregnancy and 2) more and more clinics are offering telehealth for medication abortion which involves mailing medication to a patient’s home. Although these findings show how clinics are working to fill the gaps in abortion access, they are doing so against a troubling landscape where 14 states have now banned abortion care altogether. “Abortion bans have created an untenable situation that health care providers are now left to manage,” said lead researcher Dr. Ushma Upadhyay. Read more.
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