Statement from Fòs Feminista on nationwide restriction of abortion medication access by mail

Nueva York, NY — Today, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling in Louisiana v. FDA reinstating a nationwide requirement that patients obtain mifepristone in person at a health center, rather than by mail or at a pharmacy after receiving care through telemedicine, while Louisiana’s appeal proceeds.

The decision imposes a severe restriction on mifepristone, a safe and effective medication used in nearly two-thirds of U.S. abortions and in early miscarriage care. The FDA lifted the in-person dispensing requirement in 2021, and made that change permanent in 2023, based on extensive evidence and real-world data showing that mifepristone can be safely provided through telemedicine and mail delivery.

This ruling is a dangerous rollback of reproductive rights and public health. It will make care harder to reach for people across the country, especially those living in rural areas, people with disabilities, people facing intimate partner violence, and others who already face significant barriers to in-person health care. It is also out of step with both the worldwide medical consensus on mifepristone and the clear support U.S. voters have shown for abortion rights in recent state-level elections.

In response to the Fifth Circuit’s decision, Giselle Carino, CEO de Fòs Feminista, emitió la siguiente declaración:

“This decision is a direct attack on safe, evidence-based health care. Mifepristone has been used safely for more than 25 years for abortion and miscarriage care, and its safety has been repeatedly affirmed by medical authorities in the United States and around the world.

Restricting telemedicine access does not change the science. It only makes care harder to reach, especially for people who already face the greatest barriers to care. For many women, girls, and gender-diverse people, telemedicine is not a convenience. It is a critical pathway to dignity, autonomy, and timely health care.”

###

Fòs Feminista Fòs Feminista es una alianza feminista internacional que promueve la salud, los derechos y la justicia sexuales y reproductivos. Junto con más de 180 organizaciones aliadas y socias en más de 35 países, trabajamos para ampliar el acceso a una atención basada en derechos e inclusiva en términos de género, y para fortalecer los sistemas de salud y los movimientos liderados a nivel local.

Nuestro trabajo abarca la prestación de servicios de salud, la incidencia en políticas públicas y el fortalecimiento de movimientos. En alianza con organizaciones locales, apoyamos el acceso a anticoncepción, a servicios de aborto donde sea legal, a educación integral en sexualidad y a servicios para sobrevivientes de violencia basada en género. También invertimos en estrategias comunitarias que responden a contextos locales y llegan a quienes con mayor frecuencia quedan excluidos de la atención.

Fòs Feminista trabaja junto a sus organizaciones aliadas en espacios de política pública, en tribunales y en comunidades para proteger la autonomía corporal, promover la equidad y defender los derechos humanos. Nuestro enfoque centra el liderazgo local, la evidencia y la dignidad, reconociendo que el progreso sostenible depende de recursos flexibles, alianzas sólidas y atención sin condiciones.