Latest Mifepristone Ruling
On August 16, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision in the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA case attempting to roll back access to mifepristone, one of the drugs used for medication abortions. Access to mifepristone remains unchanged for now. On April 21, the U.S. Supreme Court held that—no matter what the 5th Circuit does on this issue—the orders will not take effect until either the Supreme Court declines to take up this case or they accept the case and issue a ruling. This process will take months.
South Carolina Supreme Court Upholds Six-Week Abortion Ban
On August 23, we witnessed the South Carolina Supreme Court uphold the state’s newly enacted ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. This ban had been blocked since May 26, and is nearly identical to the ban struck down by this court in January 2023 — the only thing that has changed is the makeup of the South Carolina Supreme Court.
The continued politicization of our country’s courts is on full display. Our right to control our bodies and our right to provide the best possible medical care to our patients should not be up for debate. We stand with the Planned Parenthood affiliates in South Carolina that have committed to continuing to provide care under these extreme restrictions; we will continue to stand with Planned Parenthoods across the country; and we will continue to work to protect access in New York State, no matter what.
NYS Medicaid Increases Duration for Postpartum Coverage
On July 14, New York State Medicaid announced that the duration of postpartum health coverage in the New York State Medicaid and Child Health Plus programs has officially been extended from 60 days to a full year following pregnancy, regardless of immigration status or how the pregnancy ended. You can find the June Medicaid Update here.