Relates to the labeling of mifepristone, misoprostol, and their generic alternatives

• Democratic11

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Shelley Mayer says this is needed

Since the Supreme Court's disastrous decision to revoke the constitu- tional right to an abortion in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organ- ization in June 2022, states around the country have moved to restrict access to abortion. As of October 2024, twenty-one states had more restrictive laws than permitted under Roe v. Wade. Thirteen of those states had functionally a full ban; another four banned abortion after 6 weeks, when few women even know they are pregnant.(1) Over half of women between the ages of 18-49 live in a state with some restrictions on abortion care.(2) Medication abortion has become a lifeline for many individuals seeking abortions in hostile states. In 2023, New York passed a telehealth shield law (Chapter 138 of the laws of 2023) to provide broad protection to doctors based in New York serving patients in those states via tele- health. These protections include shielding New York health care practi- tioners against states that may try to impose criminal sanctions upon them and protection from professional disciplinary action or adverse action from medical malpractice insurers. Thanks to New York's shield law, providers based in New York are able to send thousands of abortion pills to patients based in hostile states each month, helping women who may not otherwise be able to access abortion care. According to research by the Society for Family Planning, one in five abortions provided in December 2023 were done via telehealth. Of these, an estimated 48% were provided by doctors in states with shield laws, like New York's.(3) This bill builds on New York's shield law, by providing further protection to doctors prescribing pills used in medication abortion to patients in hostile states. Similar to a recently enacted Washington law (Chapter 257 of Washington laws of 2024), this bill would allow prescri- bers to request that the dispensing pharmacy include the name of their practice, rather than their name, on the prescription label for mifepri- stone, misoprostol, and their generic alternatives.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.