There has been much media coverage over the last several weeks of the litigation involving mifepristone, one of two drugs used in medication abortions. The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General provides the following information to help Pennsylvanians understand the status and availability of mifepristone in Pennsylvania.

Q. What is mifepristone?

A. Mifepristone (brand name Mifeprex) is the generic name of one of two drugs used in combination to perform medication abortions. It was originally approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000. While medication abortions can be performed with a single drug (misoprostol), in the U.S. it is most commonly performed with both mifepristone and misoprostol. Medical professionals, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the World Health Organization, and the National Institute for Health

and Care Excellence, consider this combination of the two drugs the preferred medication abortion regimen.

Under current FDA requirements, mifepristone can be used to terminate a pregnancy up to 70 days (10 weeks) gestation. Since its original approval in 2000, mifepristone has been used approximately 5.6 million times as part of this two-drug regimen and the FDA has found that it has a very low rate of complications and a high rate of effectiveness.1 In 2021, medication abortions accounted for 55 percent of all abortions in Pennsylvania.

Q. What is the status of mifepristone in Pennsylvania?

A. As a result of a lawsuit filed in Texas, federal courts in Texas attempted to substantially restrict access to mifepristone throughout the U.S. However, on April 21, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed the lower courts’ decision, restoring the status quo while the lawsuit is pending. As a result of the Supreme Court’s stay order, mifepristone currently remains legal and available in Pennsylvania and nationwide. Both the name brand version, Mifeprex, and the generic version are available for termination of pregnancy up to 70 days (10 weeks) gestation. The litigation involving mifepristone has no effect on the provision of surgical abortions – those remain available and lawful up to 24 weeks gestation under Pennsylvania’s Abortion Control Act.

From the Office of Pa. Attorney General