PHOENIX – Attorney General Mayes issued the following statement in response to yesterday's opinion issued by Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in the ongoing legal proceedings related to the drug mifepristone, one of two drugs typically used in medication abortions:
"In light of yesterday’s decision by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in a case challenging the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, I want to again reassure Arizonans that abortion remains legal and accessible in our state.
As my office previously explained back in April, this litigation out of Texas does not currently affect the legality and accessibility of mifepristone in Arizona thanks to Arizona’s participation in a different federal case out of the Eastern District of Washington. Because of that Washington litigation, the FDA must preserve the status quo regarding the legality and availability of mifepristone in Arizona.
My office and I are unwavering in our commitment to protecting the rights of Arizonans to make their own private medical decisions without interference. Bottom line: Arizona health care providers can continue to prescribe mifepristone to patients for abortion and miscarriage care just as they did before these cases started. And I will do everything in my power to keep it that way."