Reproductive health providers in Maine are expressing relief that the U.S. Supreme Court has maintained access to the medication abortion drug mifepristone.
The decision issued Thursday lifts a lower court’s stay that temporarily blocked use of mifepristone for telehealth patients while a lawsuit works its way through the courts.
“The Supreme Court’s decision is welcome news for patients and providers across the country who have been dealing with undue chaos and confusion these past few weeks,” said George Hill, president and CEO of Maine Family Planning.
In a written statement, Hill said expanded access through telehealth is especially important for rural patients and that “mifepristone is just as safe when provided via telehealth as it is in a clinic.”
Nicole Clegg, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, criticized the lawsuit as being politically motivated, not rooted in science or medicine.
“We know that the next attack is just around the corner,” Clegg said in a written statement, “but we are not going anywhere.”
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.