SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
President Donld Trump petitioned the Supreme Court to reinstate an FDA rule mandating a doctor's office visit for patients to obtain mifepristone, which is used to terminate an early pregnancy. (Photo: Robin Marty/Flickr)
Amid Pandemic, Trump Petitions Supreme Court to Make Potential Covid-19 Exposure 'the Price of Abortion Care'
"We've already blocked this policy in two federal courts—and we plan to do so again," said the ACLU.
Aug 26, 2020
Potentially subjecting patients to Covid-19 risks in the interest of violating the constitutional right to seek an abortion, President Donald Trump on Wednesday petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a rule requiring patients to see a doctor in person before obtaining a medication used to provide abortion care.
The ACLU filed a lawsuit last month to suspend the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) restriction on behalf of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), New York State Academy of Family Physicians, and other reproductive healthcare providers and rights groups.
"We hope the Supreme Court will deny the Trump administration's cruel attempt to score political points by putting people seeking essential reproductive health care at needless risk."
--Julia Kaye, ACLU
The organization successfully obtained an injunction when the U.S. District Court of Maryland ruled that the rule should be suspended to protect patients from potential exposure to Covid-19 when they make an unnecessary trip to obtain the medications, mifepristone, which is used to terminate a pregnancy in the first trimester.
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Trump administration's request to stay the lower court's ruling, leading to the president's action on Wednesday.
"With Covid-19 raging across the nation--and despite being rebuffed twice in the courts--the Trump administration refuses to end its crusade to subject abortion patients and their families to entirely unnecessary exposure risks," said Julia Kaye, staff attorney with the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project. "Forcing patients to travel during a pandemic just to pick up a pill is irrational and dangerous, which is why the medical community uniformly opposes this senseless rule."
\u201cBREAKING: The Trump administration just asked the Supreme Court to reinstate an FDA rule that forces patients to risk COVID-19 exposure as the price of getting abortion care.\n\nWe\u2019ve already blocked this policy in two federal courts \u2014 and we plan to do so again.\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1598463020
"We've already blocked this policy in two federal courts--and we plan to do so again," tweeted the organization.
Dr. Daniel Grossman, director of Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH), slammed the FDA for not following "the scientific evidence" which showed patients can safely use mifepristone to terminate a pregnancy without the burden of visiting a physician in person first.
\u201cIf the FDA had followed the scientific evidence, then patients\u2019 ability to get medication abortion care during a pandemic wouldn\u2019t be hanging in the balance at the Supreme Court.\n\nhttps://t.co/iwM6U5KWNY\u201d— Dr. Daniel Grossman (@Dr. Daniel Grossman) 1598474455
In July, the U.S. District Court of Maryland ruled that patients can safely obtain the medication through the mail under supervision of a healthcare provider, and can consult with a physician in a telehealth appointment to avoid exposure to Covid-19 in a clinic or on public transportation.
"We hope the Supreme Court will deny the Trump administration's cruel attempt to score political points by putting people seeking essential reproductive health care at needless risk," Kaye said Wednesday.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Potentially subjecting patients to Covid-19 risks in the interest of violating the constitutional right to seek an abortion, President Donald Trump on Wednesday petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a rule requiring patients to see a doctor in person before obtaining a medication used to provide abortion care.
The ACLU filed a lawsuit last month to suspend the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) restriction on behalf of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), New York State Academy of Family Physicians, and other reproductive healthcare providers and rights groups.
"We hope the Supreme Court will deny the Trump administration's cruel attempt to score political points by putting people seeking essential reproductive health care at needless risk."
--Julia Kaye, ACLU
The organization successfully obtained an injunction when the U.S. District Court of Maryland ruled that the rule should be suspended to protect patients from potential exposure to Covid-19 when they make an unnecessary trip to obtain the medications, mifepristone, which is used to terminate a pregnancy in the first trimester.
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Trump administration's request to stay the lower court's ruling, leading to the president's action on Wednesday.
"With Covid-19 raging across the nation--and despite being rebuffed twice in the courts--the Trump administration refuses to end its crusade to subject abortion patients and their families to entirely unnecessary exposure risks," said Julia Kaye, staff attorney with the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project. "Forcing patients to travel during a pandemic just to pick up a pill is irrational and dangerous, which is why the medical community uniformly opposes this senseless rule."
\u201cBREAKING: The Trump administration just asked the Supreme Court to reinstate an FDA rule that forces patients to risk COVID-19 exposure as the price of getting abortion care.\n\nWe\u2019ve already blocked this policy in two federal courts \u2014 and we plan to do so again.\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1598463020
"We've already blocked this policy in two federal courts--and we plan to do so again," tweeted the organization.
Dr. Daniel Grossman, director of Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH), slammed the FDA for not following "the scientific evidence" which showed patients can safely use mifepristone to terminate a pregnancy without the burden of visiting a physician in person first.
\u201cIf the FDA had followed the scientific evidence, then patients\u2019 ability to get medication abortion care during a pandemic wouldn\u2019t be hanging in the balance at the Supreme Court.\n\nhttps://t.co/iwM6U5KWNY\u201d— Dr. Daniel Grossman (@Dr. Daniel Grossman) 1598474455
In July, the U.S. District Court of Maryland ruled that patients can safely obtain the medication through the mail under supervision of a healthcare provider, and can consult with a physician in a telehealth appointment to avoid exposure to Covid-19 in a clinic or on public transportation.
"We hope the Supreme Court will deny the Trump administration's cruel attempt to score political points by putting people seeking essential reproductive health care at needless risk," Kaye said Wednesday.
Potentially subjecting patients to Covid-19 risks in the interest of violating the constitutional right to seek an abortion, President Donald Trump on Wednesday petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a rule requiring patients to see a doctor in person before obtaining a medication used to provide abortion care.
The ACLU filed a lawsuit last month to suspend the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) restriction on behalf of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), New York State Academy of Family Physicians, and other reproductive healthcare providers and rights groups.
"We hope the Supreme Court will deny the Trump administration's cruel attempt to score political points by putting people seeking essential reproductive health care at needless risk."
--Julia Kaye, ACLU
The organization successfully obtained an injunction when the U.S. District Court of Maryland ruled that the rule should be suspended to protect patients from potential exposure to Covid-19 when they make an unnecessary trip to obtain the medications, mifepristone, which is used to terminate a pregnancy in the first trimester.
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Trump administration's request to stay the lower court's ruling, leading to the president's action on Wednesday.
"With Covid-19 raging across the nation--and despite being rebuffed twice in the courts--the Trump administration refuses to end its crusade to subject abortion patients and their families to entirely unnecessary exposure risks," said Julia Kaye, staff attorney with the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project. "Forcing patients to travel during a pandemic just to pick up a pill is irrational and dangerous, which is why the medical community uniformly opposes this senseless rule."
\u201cBREAKING: The Trump administration just asked the Supreme Court to reinstate an FDA rule that forces patients to risk COVID-19 exposure as the price of getting abortion care.\n\nWe\u2019ve already blocked this policy in two federal courts \u2014 and we plan to do so again.\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1598463020
"We've already blocked this policy in two federal courts--and we plan to do so again," tweeted the organization.
Dr. Daniel Grossman, director of Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH), slammed the FDA for not following "the scientific evidence" which showed patients can safely use mifepristone to terminate a pregnancy without the burden of visiting a physician in person first.
\u201cIf the FDA had followed the scientific evidence, then patients\u2019 ability to get medication abortion care during a pandemic wouldn\u2019t be hanging in the balance at the Supreme Court.\n\nhttps://t.co/iwM6U5KWNY\u201d— Dr. Daniel Grossman (@Dr. Daniel Grossman) 1598474455
In July, the U.S. District Court of Maryland ruled that patients can safely obtain the medication through the mail under supervision of a healthcare provider, and can consult with a physician in a telehealth appointment to avoid exposure to Covid-19 in a clinic or on public transportation.
"We hope the Supreme Court will deny the Trump administration's cruel attempt to score political points by putting people seeking essential reproductive health care at needless risk," Kaye said Wednesday.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.