UNITED STATES — Following the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Louisiana v. FDA, National Abortion Federation President and CEO Brittany Fonteno released a statement strongly criticizing the ruling, calling it a “sweeping and dangerous rollback” that threatens access to abortion care nationwide.
According to the National Abortion Federation, the court’s decision “to reinstate an in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone nationwide” will have immediate consequences for patients seeking care.
Fonteno stated that the ruling “disregards the well-established safety and efficacy of the use of mifepristone via telehealth” and “will create immediate, medically unnecessary barriers to care for patients across the country,” emphasizing the public health implications.
The National Abortion Federation argues that the decision is not actually based on medical evidence. Fonteno asserted, “Make no mistake: this ruling is not grounded in science or patient safety,” describing it instead as “a politically driven decision that overrides medical expertise and years of research.”
The statement further argues that the ruling “threatens to upend how abortion care is delivered nationwide,” unveiling the broader impacts on health care systems and access to abortion care.
According to the National Abortion Federation, the litigation reflects a wider effort to restrict abortion access. Fonteno stated that “through this litigation, Louisiana seeks to impose its cruel abortion ban across the nation,” including “in states with legal protections for abortion,” and that the court “has taken an extreme step toward that end.”
The National Abortion Federation emphasizes the historical role of medication abortion in health care, noting that “mifepristone has transformed abortion care for over 25 years” and that “medication abortion accounts for the majority of abortions in the United States today.”
The National Abortion Federation asserts that access to medication abortion is especially critical for certain populations. Fonteno stated that “for many patients, especially those in rural communities, those with limited financial resources, and those facing an array of other barriers,” receiving medication by mail “is often the only way to safely access the care they need.”
According to the National Abortion Federation, advocacy efforts will continue despite this ruling. Fonteno specified that “NAF and our allies will continue to advocate to restore full access to medication abortion.”
The organization also clarified that access to care remains available in other forms. According to the National Abortion Federation, “although mifepristone may not be available through telemedicine, it remains available in doctors’ offices, clinics and hospitals.”
Fonteno added that “NAF telemedicine providers will continue to provide evidence-based abortion care at home for their patients.”
Through an emphasis on how the ruling is a “dangerous rollback,” “not grounded in science,” and likely to create “medically unnecessary barriers,” the statement from Fonteno highlights the ongoing criminal and social justice issue regarding federal courts and reproductive rights.
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There’s a “National Abortion Federation”?
They don’t even bother to call themselves a “Pro Choice Federation”?
Well, gotta admire the honesty in that title.
Well Written. 👍