TRENTON, N.J. — Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin on Monday joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in issuing a joint statement raising concerns about a U.S. Food and Drug Administration review of mifepristone.
The review was referenced by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Martin Makary in response to a letter from Republican state attorneys general to the FDA calling for restrictions on or withdrawal of mifepristone from the market.
“For more than 25 years, mifepristone has been used safely and effectively in the United States and globally. It is currently the most common method for early-term abortion care in the United States and is the standard of care for managing early miscarriage. The decision to reexamine access to this medication was made in response to a scientifically baseless letter and ignores decades of research that proves mifepristone is safe and effective. Medical decisions should be left between patients, their families, and their providers – and they should be guided by science, not political agendas.
“As state attorneys general, we have a responsibility to enforce state laws and protect our residents, including their access to reproductive care. If access to mifepristone is challenged, we will take action to protect it.”
New Jersey has been at the forefront of efforts to protect medication abortion. Earlier this year, Platkin co-led a coalition of attorneys general calling on the FDA to eliminate restrictions on mifepristone that he argued impede access to medication abortion without improving patient safety.
The state’s actions are part of its ongoing efforts to protect reproductive rights. New Jersey law recognizes abortion as a fundamental right. Platkin has created a Reproductive Rights Strike Force within the Department of Law and Public Safety, co-led a coalition urging hospitals to comply with federal law by providing emergency abortion care, and implemented legislation expanding access to hormonal contraceptives.
Joining Platkin in the joint statement are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
