Platkin Joins 20-State Statement: “Mifepristone Remains Safe and Available”

Attorney General Platkin and a coalition of state attorneys general say an FDA review prompted by political pressure is unfounded and pledge to protect access to the medication.

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general today in issuing a joint statement defending the safety and availability of mifepristone after an FDA review was announced following a letter from Republican state attorneys general.

In the joint statement the attorneys general said in part:

“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.”

The statement responds to public comments by federal officials — including references by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Martin Makary — and to calls from Republican state attorneys general for restrictions or withdrawal of the drug.

New Jersey has been active in efforts to preserve medication abortion access. Earlier this year, Attorney General Platkin co-led a multistate coalition urging the FDA to remove what the states called unnecessary restrictions on mifepristone that impede access without improving safety. The release also notes New Jersey law recognizes abortion as a fundamental right, and that Platkin has created a Reproductive Rights Strike Force and led other state actions to protect reproductive health services.

Joining Platkin in the joint statement were 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.

The release frames the action as both a defense of medical science and a promise of legal protection: the coalition says it will use its authority to defend access to mifepristone if federal or other actors seek to limit its availability.