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Protecting Access to Medication Abortion Act of 2023
12/15/2023, 4:05 PM
Summary of Bill S 237
The bill specifically aims to protect the ability of healthcare providers to prescribe medication abortion and for patients to receive it without unnecessary barriers or restrictions. It also seeks to prevent any interference from the government or other entities that may seek to limit access to this important healthcare service.
Additionally, the Protecting Access to Medication Abortion Act of 2023 includes provisions that would require healthcare providers to provide accurate information about medication abortion to patients, as well as ensure that patients have access to follow-up care and support services. Overall, this bill is designed to safeguard the rights of individuals to make their own healthcare decisions and to ensure that medication abortion remains a safe and accessible option for those who choose it. It is an important piece of legislation that seeks to protect and expand access to reproductive healthcare services in the United States.
Congressional Summary of S 237
Protecting Access to Medication Abortion Act of 2023
This bill requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that patients may receive mifepristone through prescriptions issued via telehealth and filled by mail. The FDA has approved mifepristone for medication abortions (i.e., a procedure in which prescription drugs are used to terminate a pregnancy).
(Mifepristone is subject to a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, which imposes various safety-related requirements. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the FDA suspended enforcement of a requirement that the drug must be dispensed in person, a requirement in the strategy at the time. In January 2023, the FDA updated the strategy to remove the in-person dispensing requirement.)
Under this bill, the FDA must ensure that the strategy for mifepristone (1) does not have an in-person dispensing requirement, (2) allows patients to access prescriptions for mifepristone via telehealth, and (3) authorizes all pharmacies certified to dispense mifepristone to patients to do so via mail.
