Statement From Dr. Avenel Joseph on the U.S. Supreme Court’s Decision on Mifepristone Access

In response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to maintain access to the abortion pill mifepristone, Dr. Avenel Joseph, vice president for policy at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, released the following statement:

It is a relief that mifepristone, a widely used, safe, and effective medication, remains available today—but its future remains very much in doubt. In a time when rates of maternal mortality are far too high and abortion rights are being increasingly curtailed and even criminalized, the Supreme Court’s decision provides only temporary reassurance rather than permanent peace of mind.

Today’s ruling is focused on ‘standing,’ which is a legal term. But in our view, it also carries a more profound meaning: when it comes to the deeply personal choice about whether and when to have children, ‘standing’ belongs to the women and families making these decisions in consultation with their healthcare providers. The proper role for policymakers at all levels is to help ensure that the full range of reproductive healthcare services is available everywhere, and that cost or insurance status is never a barrier to access.

Health—including all forms of reproductive healthcare—ought not to be a privilege for some but a right for all. The risk to the right remains. But the fight to secure it lives on.

For more information or to speak with an expert, contact media@rwjf.org.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is committed to improving health and health equity in the United States. In partnership with others, we are committed to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime and paving the way together to a future where health is no longer a privilege but a right. To achieve that vision, we are deepening our focus on dismantling one of the biggest barriers to health in America, structural racism.