The American Medical Association and three other health organizations are warning that the “confusing” language of state abortion laws following the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade is putting patients’ lives at risk by limiting access to medications that are used to treat multiple conditions.
The AMA, American Pharmacists Association, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and National Community Pharmacists Association called on state medical boards and policymakers to provide “clear guidance” as to whether certain abortion-inducing drugs were completely prohibited or could be prescribed for other conditions, such as arthritis.
“Following the U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, physicians, pharmacists, and other health care professionals face a confusing legal landscape due to state laws’ lack of clarity, confusing language, and unknown implementation by regulatory and enforcement bodies,” the groups said in a joint statement. “Physicians and pharmacists need clear guidance from state boards of medicine and pharmacy, agencies, and policymakers to support the prescribing and dispensing of medically necessary medications that may be affected by this new legal and regulatory paradigm.”
The health groups argued that the vague language used in some state laws, such as ones that prohibit providers from prescribing an “abortion inducing drug,” could also restrict them from prescribing methotrexate, which can be used to terminate a pregnancy but also can be used for other conditions, including cancer, ectopic pregnancies, and treatment for inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.
Mifepristone, an abortion-inducing drug, can also be used in emergency circumstances for preeclampsia and other issues that could arise during labor.
Health professionals and patients are reporting that the uncertainty of the language is disrupting care, with emergency contraceptives being withheld for victims of sexual assault and pharmacies implementing new policies requiring them to confirm a patient’s diagnosis before prescribing certain medications, the organizations said.
The organizations urged state medical and pharmacy boards and legislatures to provide clarity to ensure patient care would not be disrupted further.
