ANA Responds to Supreme Court Mifepristone Hearing
CONTACT: NewsRoom@ana.org
SILVER SPRING, MD – In a Supreme Court hearing on March 26, abortion opponents challenged whether the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A). acted appropriately in authorizing the sale of mifepristone over the past several years. The American Nurses Association (ANA) holds that authority to determine the safety of mifepristone and other medications is a federal role that rests appropriately with FDA.
The FDA approved mifepristone over 23 years ago and if the Supreme Court upholds the lower court ruling, it will set an unprecedented situation where the judiciary is able to overturn FDA decisions that are made using an established process based on scientific fact. These evidence-based decisions by the FDA are made with patient safety and efficacy in mind. ANA acknowledges the potential impact of this litigation on access to reproductive health care and on nurse-patient relationships.
“ANA will continue to speak on behalf of the nurses we represent, who are instrumental in helping patients weigh their options when it comes to their reproductive health,” said ANA President Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN.
As the largest group of health care professionals in the U.S., nurses have an ethical obligation to safeguard patient privacy and their ability to make their own decisions based on full information and available options. ANA affirms that sexual and reproductive health care must include access to contraception and abortion care.
“ANA strongly opposes any action that threatens a patient’s basic right to make their own decisions about their reproductive health care,” said, ANA Acting Chief Executive Officer and Chief Nursing Officer Debbie Hatmaker, PhD, RN, FAAN. “We are adamant that no nurse should ever be subject to punitive or judicial consequences for upholding their ethical obligations to their patients and profession.”
ANA maintains that reproductive health equity is a basic human right and continues to urge the courts to exercise the utmost restraint in interfering with safe and effective healthcare delivery.
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The American Nurses Association (ANA) is the premier organization representing the interests of the nation's more than 5 million registered nurses. ANA advances the profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting a safe and ethical work environment, bolstering the health and wellness of nurses, and advocating on health care issues that affect nurses and the public. ANA is at the forefront of improving the quality of health care for all. For more information, visit www.nursingworld.org.