​NJ Pushes Abortion Medication Change

NEW JERSEY - New Jersey has joined three other Democratic-led states in asking the United States to help improve access to abortion medication.

California, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and their attorneys general filed a petition on Thursday asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to abolish certain restrictions on mifepristone in order to expand the ability for doctors to prescribe it. According to the Washington Post, the states believe the barriers are "medically unnecessary," being that scientific trials have proven the drug to be safe.

The states are specifically targeting the FDA's Mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) that calls for pharmacy certification through shippers that give tracking and patient agreement forms to receive the drug. They argue that certain prescriber certification requirements also "can discourage clinicians from offering it."

Under the current requirements, prescribers have to send a certification form to pharmacies that patients will visit, a practice opponents feel brings with it privacy concerns "should such lists be leaked or compromised."

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“We will never waver in our support for reproductive freedom, and we will not stand by while the Trump Administration threatens access to essential reproductive health care. Access to mifepristone saves lives and is critical for reproductive choice," said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. “Federal restrictions on mifepristone are burdensome impediments to reproductive choice and are not based in science or medicine."

New Jersey Right to Life Executive Director Marie Tasy responded to AG Platkin's comments, stating that he prioritizes the interests of the abortion lobby over the safety and well-being of women.

"The FDA’s decision to review the safety of the abortion pill comes in response to studies revealing severe adverse effects experienced by many women—including sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, and other serious medical complications within 45 days of taking the drug. Women deserve leaders who advocate for their health and safety, not activist attorneys general who use their office to advance the agenda of the abortion industry."

Mifepristone is taken with misoprostol to stop pregnancies through 10 week's gestation and treat early miscarriages. The drug has been at the forefront of the debate over abortion rights ever since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and federal protection for abortions in 2022.

The FDA first approved the drug in 2000, leading to more than 7.5 million people in the U.S. using it. The State of New Jersey Department of Law & Public Safety points out that "according to leading medical organizations, serious complications are “extremely rare,” and no deaths have ever been definitively attributed to the drug. Mifepristone is also on the World Health Organization’s core list of essential, life-saving medicines."

This recent move by the four states comes after the FDA has announced plans to review the pill's safety earlier this week. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary announced a review of mifepristone, sparking concern from advocates that access to the drug might soon be further restricted. The request to evaluate the drug was delivered through a citizen petition to the Department of Health and Humane Services and the FDA, which requires them under law to respond within 180 days.

After a decision is delivered, the petitioners can request that the organization revisit their concerns, with the option to also then take their case to court.