Readout of Vice President Harris’ Meeting on Threats to Medication Abortion

Today, Vice President Kamala Harris convened a meeting at the White House with leading medical experts and reproductive rights leaders to discuss protecting reproductive health care. The Vice President addressed the importance of access to medication abortion, which is currently subject to litigation and accounts for more than half of all abortions in the United States—and is commonly used for miscarriage management. 

During the meeting, the participants discussed the devastating impact of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on women’s health and how attacks on medication abortion exacerbate difficulties accessingcare. They emphasized the long-standing safety and efficacy record of medication abortion and the need to safeguard access to this critical medication. Participants also discussed the chilling effect that state abortion restrictions are having on health care providers giving basic care to their patients. 

The Vice President noted how attempts to undermine access to medication abortion not only threaten our public health system but also threaten fundamental freedoms. The participants discussed how challenges to the FDA’s authority to determine the safety of drugs could undermine public confidence in the continued availability of other approved medications.

Throughout the conversation, the participants discussed the importance of coalition building in the fight for reproductive freedom. The Vice President thanked the participants for their dedication to providing reproductive care to patients and their leadership in fighting to protect the ability for people to make decisions about their own bodies.

Participants:

• Dr. Kristyn Brandi, Board Chair, Physicians for Reproductive Health 
• Dr. Eliza Chin, Executive Director, American Medical Women’s Association
• Amanda Dennis, Executive Director, Society of Family Planning
• Dr. Tochi Iroku-Malize, President, American Academy of Family Physicians
• Dr. Serina Floyd, Chief Medical Officer, Planned Parenthood Metropolitan Washington D.C., and Chair, National Medical Committee of Planned Parenthood Federation of America
• Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO, National Women’s Law Center 
• Mini Timmaraju, President, NARAL Pro-Choice America
• Nancy Northup, President, the Center for Reproductive Rights 
• Dr. Maureen G. Phipps, CEO, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
• Deirdre Schifeling, National Political Director, American Civil Liberties Union 
• Monica Simpson, Executive Director, Sister Song          

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