06/24/2024

Supreme Court Upholds Patient and PA Prescribing Rights in Mifepristone Case

Updated June 24, 2024

The United States Supreme Court recently overturned a Fifth Circuit ruling that placed restrictions on mifepristone, including stripping away PA prescribing rights. AAPA and other national association had joined an amicus brief earlier this year to defend the rights of patients and PAs. With the SCOTUS decision, AAPA released a statement celebrating the outcome.

Original Article Published February 13, 2024

AAPA Joins Amicus Brief in Mifepristone Case to Protect PA Practice

In advance of oral arguments before the Supreme Court of the United States next month, the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) and other leading healthcare associations have filed an amicus brief regarding Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the court case concerning mifepristone.

AAPA joined the Association of PAs in Obstetrics and Gynecology (APAOG), the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNW), and the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH) in supporting increased access to mifepristone and prescribing rights for PAs and other highly qualified providers.

According to AAPA Guidelines for Ethical Conduct for the PA Profession, "patients have a right to access the full range of reproductive healthcare services, including fertility treatments, contraception, sterilization, and abortion. PAs have an ethical obligation to provide balanced and unbiased clinical information about reproductive healthcare."

Read more about the amicus brief filing on AAPA's website.

For the law regarding PA practice in Ohio as it relates to abortion, please see Ohio Revised Code section 4730.02.