,,iii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #gcb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #ad1 #bjbf,ms4 ,warren 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1 ,mr4 ,schumer1 ,mr4 ,wyden1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,ms4 ,smith1 ,ms4 ,alsobrooks1 ,mr4 ,bennet1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,ms4 ,blunt ,rochester1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,ms4 ,cantwell1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,ms4 ,cortez ,masto1 ,ms4 ,duckworth1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,fetterman1 ,mr4 ,gallego1 ,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 ,ms4 ,hassan1 ,mr4 ,heinrich1 ,mr4 ,hickenlooper1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mr4 ,kelly1 ,mr4 ,kim1 ,mr4 ,king1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,lujn1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mr4 ,murphy1 ,mr4 ,ossoff1 ,mr4 ,padilla1 ,mr4 ,peters1 ,mr4 ,reed1 ,ms4 ,rosen1 ,mr4 ,sanders1 ,mr4 ,schatz1 ,mr4 ,schiff1 ,ms4 ,slotkin1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,mr4 ,warner1 ,mr4 ,warnock1 ,mr4 ,welch1 and ,mr4 ,whitehouse7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,,resolution ,expressing the sense of the ,senate that over #be years of real-world evidence and hundreds of peer-reviewed studies proving that mifepristone is safe and effective should be respected1 and law and policy governing access to lifesaving1 time-sensitive medication abortion care in the ,united ,states should be equitable1 transparent1 and based on the best available peer-reviewed evidence-based science4 ,whereas ,congress1 by enacting the ,federal ,food1 ,drug1 and ,cosmetic ,act 7#ba ,u4,s4,c4 #cja et seq471 authorized the ,food and ,drug ,administration 7,,fda7 to determine1 based on the scientific evidence1 whether a drug is safe and effective for the intended use of the drug2 ,whereas ,congress authorized the ,,fda to impose or maintain a ,risk ,evaluation and ,mitigation ,strategy 7,,rems7 for a drug only where necessary to ensure that the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks of the drug considering certain statutorily enumerated factors2 ,whereas ,congress prohibited the ,,fda from imposing or maintaining an ,element to ,assure ,safe ,use 7,,etasu7 within a ,,rems program if1 inter alia1 the ,,etasu is unduly burdensome on patient access1 considering in particular patients who have difficulty accessing health care2 ,whereas mifepristone is a medication recommended by leading medical authorities for its ,,fda-approved use to terminate a pregnancy and for its off-label use to manage miscarriage2 ,whereas mifepristone received approval from the ,,fda more than #be years ago1 and according to the ,,fda1 the efficacy and safety have become well-established by both research and experience1 and serious complications have proven to be extremely rare2 ,whereas the ,,fda approved mifepristone following a rigorous #ed-month review period that included the review of #c complete phases of clinical trials that involved thousands of participants and that showed mifepristone was safe and effective for termination of an early pregnancy2 ,whereas1 despite mifepristone's exceptional safety record1 the ,,fda still regulates this medication more heavily than #ii percent of prescription drugs2 ,whereas1 in ,december #bjba1 after an extensive review of high-quality research and years of real-world data confirming that mifepristone remains just as safe when patients can fill their prescription by mail or at a pharmacy1 the ,,fda concluded that the ,mifepristone ,,rems should be modified to lessen the burdens on patient access and the health care system and1 in ,january #bjbc1 approved this modification to the ,,rems that removed the in-person dispensing ,,etasu and added a pharmacy certification ,,etasu1 allowing ,mifeprex and its approved generics to be dispensed by certified pharmacies1 both in-person and by mail1 as well as by or under the supervision of certified prescribers2 ,whereas numerous peer-reviewed studies since ,january #bjbc have further established that mifepristone remains highly safe and effective2 ,whereas mifepristone is more accessible when dispensed to eligible patients by mail or at a pharmacy after clinical evaluation and counseling through telemedicine2 ,whereas few drugs have been studied so extensively after their ,,fda approval and few hold such an explicit and convincing safety record as mifepristone2 ,whereas leading medical and scientific organizations1 including the ,world ,health ,organization1 the ,american ,medical ,association1 the ,american ,college of ,obstetricians ,gynecologists1 the ,american ,academy of ,family ,physicians1 the ,society of ,family ,planning1 and the ,society for ,maternal-,fetal ,medicine1 recognize that mifepristone is safe and effective1 including when prescribed through telemedicine and dispensed to eligible patients by mail or at a pharmacy1 and continue to recommend the use of mifepristone as part of an evidence-based regimen to safely end a pregnancy2 ,whereas the importance of medication abortion is recognized globally1 and the ,world ,health ,organization has included mifepristone on its list of essential medicines since #bjje2 ,whereas the safety record of mifepristone is demonstrated by its availability in more than #ij countries1 including countries without restrictions like the mifepristone ,,rems2 ,whereas medication abortion accounted for #fc percent of all abortions in the ,united ,states in #bjbc2 ,whereas1 following the decision of the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states in ,dobbs v4 ,jackson ,women's ,health ,organization1 #eig ,u4,s4 #bae 7#bjbb71 to overturn decades of precedent in ,roe v4 ,wade1 #daj ,u4,s4 #aac 7#aigc71 and ,planned ,parenthood v4 ,casey1 #eje ,u4,s4 #hcc 7#aiib71 as of ,may #bjbf1 bans have eliminated all or some abortions in #bj ,states1 compounding an already complex landscape and exacerbating the existing abortion-access crisis2 ,whereas1 in the years since the decision of the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states to overturn ,roe v4 ,wade1 #daj ,u4,s4 #aac 7#aigc71 and ,planned ,parenthood v4 ,casey1 #eje ,u4,s4 #hcc 7#aiib71 in ,dobbs v4 ,jackson ,women's ,health ,organization1 #eig ,u4,s4 #bae 7#bjbb71 anti-abortion politicians and groups have filed multiple baseless lawsuits against the ,,fda over its approval and regulation of mifepristone1 attempting to use misinformation about mifepristone to justify restricting access to this essential medication nationwide1 despite its longstanding safety record2 ,whereas the impact to the health and well-being of patients across the country would be devastating if any action reduced patient access to medication abortion or increased barriers to prescribing and dispensing medication abortion2 ,whereas abortion bans and restrictions force patients to travel greater distances for care and face longer wait times1 and force some patients who are unable to access care to remain pregnant against their will2 ,whereas scientific research has demonstrated that restricting access to abortion increases the risk of domestic violence for pregnant people and data suggests that the privacy of a telehealth consultation may increase a patient's willingness to disclose abuse or coercion2 and ,whereas1 due to discrimination1 unnecessary restrictions on abortion1 including medication abortion1 disproportionately push care out of reach for-- 7#a7 ,black and ,indigenous people2 7#b7 people of color2 7#c7 immigrants2 7#d7 people with lower incomes2 7#e7 people in rural communities2 7#f7 ,,lgbtq people2 7#g7 people living with disabilities2 7#h7 people experiencing intimate partner violence2 and 7#i7 other pregnant people who have been disproportionately harmed by systemic inequities in health care3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that it is the sense of the ,senate that-- 7#a7 ,,fda policies affecting access to medication abortion care in the ,united ,states must be based on transparent scientific review of the full body of gold-standard medical evidence1 as well as considerations of potential burdens on patient access and the health care delivery system1 as required by the ,federal ,food1 ,drug1 and ,cosmetic ,act 7#ba ,u4,s4,c4 #cja et seq472 7#b7 ,congress has granted the ,,fda the authority to regulate prescription drug medications and medical devices based on scientific determinations of their safety and efficacy grounded in the best available peer-reviewed evidence-based science1 and without political interference2 7#c7 the ,,fda has performed multiple scientific reviews of mifepristone over #be years1 each time finding mifepristone to be safe and effective for pregnancy termination1 including when mifepristone is prescribed through telemedicine and dispensed to eligible patients by mail or at a pharmacy1 based on high-quality clinical research and real-world-safety data2 and 7#d7 preserving and expanding access to medication abortion care1 including preserving the ability to prescribe mifepristone through telemedicine and dispense to eligible patients by mail or at a pharmacy1 is important to ensure equitable access to abortion for patients harmed by statutory1 regulatory1 financial1 and circumstantial restrictions that worsen reproductive health disparities for-- 7,a7 ,black and ,indigenous people2 7,b7 people of color2 7,c7 immigrants2 7,d7 people with lower incomes2 7,e7 people in rural communities2 7,f7 ,,lgbtq people2 7,g7 people living with disabilities2 7,h7 people experiencing intimate partner violence2 and 7,i7 people in other marginalized communities4