Illinois Attorney General Calls for Removal of Restrictions on Mifepristone

Attorney General Kwame Raoul led a coalition of 17 attorneys general and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in calling on the FDA to remove burdensome restrictions on mifepristone, a medication used in abortion and miscarriage management. The coalition presented evidence on the safety of medication abortion in their states and the burdens imposed by the FDA's restrictions. This filing supplements a citizen petition filed by Massachusetts, California, New Jersey, and New York in June, urging the FDA to eliminate unnecessary restrictions on mifepristone.

Key Takeaways:

• The FDA's restrictions on mifepristone, including requiring providers to become registered prescribers and pharmacies to obtain special certification, unduly burden patient access and discourage medical professionals from providing medication abortion.
• Over 7.5 million individuals in the U.S. have safely used mifepristone for abortion care or miscarriage management, and hundreds of scientific studies have established the safety and efficacy of medication abortion.
• The coalition requests that the FDA remove the restrictions on mifepristone or stop enforcing them in their states, citing existing robust regulatory structures to ensure patient safety.
• Attorney General Raoul has been a strong advocate for reproductive rights and has taken several steps to preserve access to reproductive care, including filing a lawsuit to protect access to mifepristone in Illinois.
• The coalition's filing joins a broader effort to protect reproductive health care, with Attorney General Raoul and other coalition members advocating for access to reproductive health services, opposing draconian abortion regulations, and supporting federal protections for patients' reproductive health information.

Statistics:

• More than 7.5 million individuals in the U.S. have safely used mifepristone for abortion care or miscarriage management.
• Over 300 scientific studies have established the safety and efficacy of medication abortion.
• 17 U.S. attorneys general, including Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, have joined the coalition calling on the FDA to remove restrictions on mifepristone.
• 24 attorneys general, including Illinois Attorney General Raoul, filed a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court to protect access to medication abortion nationwide.

Sources:

• Office of the Illinois Attorney General, press release, July 2022.
• Massachusetts, California, New Jersey, and New York, citizen petition, June 2022.
• U.S. Supreme Court case briefing, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, 2022.
• Illinois state legislation, 2024.
• Consumer Alert, Office of the Illinois Attorney General, July 2022.
• Apple and Apple privacy practices documentation.
• Office of the Illinois Attorney General guidance on reproductive care, pre-Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.