Attorney General Phil Weiser fights to protect medication abortion access

May 1, 2023 (DENVER) – Attorney General Phil Weiser today continued his efforts to protect the basic right of Coloradans to medication abortion access. Joining with a multistate coalition, Weiser filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit arguing the decision issued by a district court judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas would do serious harm to access to the drug mifepristone. This amicus brief is part of Weiser’s ongoing fight to protect Coloradans’ rights to privacy, health care options, and medication abortion access.  

“I will always do everything in my power to protect Coloradans’ rights to access reproductive health care, including through mifepristone,” Weiser said. “The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit needs to reverse the district court ruling and ensure that a safe and effective medication abortion option remains available to Coloradans and people across the country.”

In the amicus brief filed by Attorney General James and a coalition of 24 attorneys general in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, the coalition argues the FDA’s determination that the medication abortion drug mifepristone is safe and effective is supported by an overwhelming medical consensus developed over more than two decades of use. The coalition also argues the FDA’s subsequent regulatory actions, including authorizing the generic version of mifepristone, permitting qualified clinicians other than physicians to authorize its usage, and enabling its distribution by mail, are all backed by solid evidence.  

The coalition urges the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to reverse the lower court ruling and notes that if it is allowed to stand, it will harm millions of Americans, with underserved groups, including women of color, people who earn low incomes, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ individuals being hardest hit.   

Joining Weiser in filing today’s amicus brief in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.  

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Media Contact:
Lawrence Pacheco
Chief Communications Officer
(720) 508-6553 office | (720) 245-4689 cell
Lawrence.pacheco@coag.gov