Expressing support for the designation of May 2023 as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.
- Last Action
- 5/11/2023
Actions
- 2023-01-27Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- 2023-01-17Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 2023-01-17Introduced in House
- 2023-01-17Introduced in House
CRS Summary
As of 2023-01-17 (00)
Protecting Life from Chemical Abortions Act
This bill nullifies certain changes made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to dispensing requirements for mifepristone. (Mifepristone is a drug that is approved to end pregnancies through 10 weeks gestation when used in conjunction with the drug misoprostol. The procedure is often referred to as medication abortion or the abortion pill.)
The FDA regulates the use of mifepristone through the Mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program. The program requires health care providers to comply with certain requirements in order to prescribe or dispense mifepristone to end a pregnancy; the program previously included an in-person dispensing requirement that required mifepristone to be directly dispensed to patients in clinics, medical offices, or hospitals. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the FDA temporarily stopped enforcing the in-person dispensing requirement, which allowed mail-order pharmacies to fill and dispense mifepristone prescriptions.
In January 2023, the FDA modified program requirements so as to (1) remove the in-person dispensing requirement, and (2) require pharmacies to be certified in the program in order to dispense mifepristone. The modifications allow retail pharmacies, after receiving certification, to dispense mifepristone pursuant to prescriptions that are written by program-certified prescribers.
The bill nullifies the January 2023 changes and prohibits the FDA from (1) exercising any enforcement discretion with respect to program requirements, or (2) reducing program protections until every state submits certain data regarding abortions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The bill also generally prohibits the declaration of a public health emergency with respect to abortions.
Cosponsors (20)
- PETE SESSIONS (R-TX)
- Mary Miller (R-IL)
- Jeff Duncan (R-SC)
- ROBERT ADERHOLT (R-AL)
- Jake Ellzey (R-TX)
- Brian Babin (R-TX)
- Glenn Grothman (R-WI)
- Randy Feenstra (R-IA)
- Brad Wenstrup (R-OH)
- Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)
- Michael Guest (R-MS)
- August Pfluger (R-TX)
- Russell Fry (R-SC)
- Diana Harshbarger (R-TN)
- John Moolenaar (R-MI)
- John Rose (R-TN)
- Ronny Jackson (R-TX)
- Ben Cline (R-VA)
- Brian Mast (R-FL)
- Brad Finstad (R-MN)
Subjects
- Abortion
- Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation
- Drug therapy
- Government information and archives
- Health information and medical records
- Prescription drugs
Sourced from Congress.gov (public domain).
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.