NNEDV Reacts to the Decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al. v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration et al.

April 12, 2023

A statement from Jean Treuthart, Interim President & CEO, National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV):

The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) condemns the ruling in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al. v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration et al. blocking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s 2000 approval of mifepristone. Mifepristone is one of two medications most commonly used in medication abortion in the United States and, if this ruling is allowed to stand, it could result in a devastating national ban on mifepristone—even in states where abortion access is protected by law.

Since its FDA approval more than two decades ago, more than five million people in the United States have used mifepristone to safely and effectively end their pregnancies. This includes domestic violence survivors, who are often subjected to reproductive coercion as a tactic of abuse, and may choose to self-manage an abortion for a variety of reasons. These survivors—and all people—deserve full control over their lives and decisions, including the ability to freely decide whether or not to become, or stay, pregnant. Any delay or disruption in accessing abortion care, forcing people to remain pregnant against their will, is unacceptable.

This ruling also disproportionately harms survivors who were already impacted by our nation’s long history of reproductive harm and control, including low-income survivors, survivors of color, immigrant survivors, survivors living in rural areas, and survivors with disabilities. NNEDV reaffirms our unequivocal solidarity with domestic violence survivors—and with everyone—seeking abortions and making decisions about their own lives and futures.

We urge the Biden-Harris Administration to use its power to continue to increase access to reproductive healthcare for all Americans, and we urge Congress to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act (H.R. 12) without delay.

As of now, mifepristone remains available in the United States, since the judge stayed the decision to give the federal government seven days to appeal; the Department of Justice has already done so. Additionally, using only misoprostol (the other of the two medications) still provides a safe and effective medication abortion. However, this dangerous court ruling broadly threatens the FDA’s authority over medication approval processes and furthers a decades-long movement to sow confusion, distrust, and fear while eroding access to basic sexual and reproductive health care in our country.      

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The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) represents the 56 state and U.S. territorial coalitions against domestic violence. NNEDV is a social change organization working to create a social, political, and economic environment in which domestic violence no longer exists. NNEDV works to make domestic violence a national priority, change the way society responds to domestic violence, and strengthen domestic violence advocacy at every level.