Statement Regarding the Critical Need for Access to Mifepristone and Misoprostol

The following is a statement from Stella Dantas, MD, FACOG, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists:

"Scheduling mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled substances demonstrates that opponents to abortion will risk the lives of all pregnant patients, even those who need obstetric and gynecologic care. Mifepristone and misoprostol are safe, effective medications that have been used for decades for a wide variety of reasons. They do not present the potential for abuse or addiction associated with medications that are rightly scheduled as controlled substances, and there is no benefit to patients to categorize them with other medications with potential for abuse or addiction.

"More critically, by scheduling mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled substances, legislators are creating barriers for clinicians in emergency situations in which a patient's life or health could be at risk. In obstetrics and gynecology, minutes or even seconds can be the difference between life and death. Forcing a clinician to jump through administrative hurdles in order to access a safe, effective medicine is not medically justified and is, quite simply, dangerous.

"Louisiana Act 246 is proof of legislative interference in the practice of medicine. This interference comes at a time when experts on the ground, including ACOG's dedicated members, are already working tirelessly to combat maternal mortality in the state. The Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative recently reported decreased rates of severe maternal morbidity related to postpartum hemorrhage, a condition that can be treated using misoprostol. Categorizing misoprostol as a controlled substance would severely limit access to this lifesaving medication and lead to delays in care by interfering with established hospital hemorrhage protocols in order to accommodate this new law. This undermines the work of the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative to make birth safer in the state and exposes patients to increased risk of death. Rural sites, community birth centers, and other health care facilities that already face challenges accessing controlled substances may lose access to mifepristone and misoprostol entirely, almost certainly worsening existing disparities in health outcomes among the patients for whom they provide care.

"Ultimately, by passing a law that targets mifepristone and misoprostol, politicians are obstructing the clinicians who treat patients in critical need of care every day, and it is our patients who will suffer. ACOG remains dedicated to protecting the autonomy, safety, and well-being of our members' patients, and we are vehemently opposed to legislative interference in our members' ability to provide patients with lifesaving care that reflects their training and expertise."