Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has joined 23 other attorneys general in filing a brief supporting access to abortion medication for all Americans.
They want the U.S. Supreme Court to review a decision by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals prohibiting telemedicine appointments for mifepristone and prohibiting its use after the very first weeks of pregnancy.
The drug is the only FDA-approved abortion medication, and the attorneys general argue that it has been used safely by millions of Americans for decades. The 5th Circuit ruling is on hold pending a decision by the Supreme Court.
Prior to the Supreme Court issuing its stay, Raoul, as part of a coalition of 18 states, proactively filed a lawsuit to preserve access to mifepristone for patients in Illinois. On April 7, a federal judge in Washington issued an injunction preventing the FDA from reducing the availability of medication abortion in Illinois and other participating states.
Joining Raoul in submitting Friday’s amicus brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
