Four states petition the FDA to lift abortion pill restrictions

Four states petitioned the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday to lift its lingering restrictions on abortion pills.

Four states petitioned the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday to lift its lingering restrictions on abortion pills.

The attorneys general of California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York argue in the petition that the FDA’s current regulations make it difficult to prescribe mifepristone — one of two pills involved in a medication abortion — in primary care settings, despite evidence that it’s safe to do so.

“Given mifepristone’s 25-year safety record, there is simply no scientific or medical reason to subject it to such extraordinary restrictions,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “The FDA must follow the science and lift these unnecessary barriers that put patients at risk and push providers out of care.”

The drug is a central flash point in the abortion debate. Many anti-abortion groups see restricting who can get mifepristone or rescinding its approval as one of the most effective ways to limit abortion access nationwide.

The petition comes just days after FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said he was committed to conducting a safety review of mifepristone.