Donaldo Hernandez, M.D., the president of the California Medical Association (CMA), issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court order granting a stay in the lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over its approval of mifepristone.

“The U.S. Supreme Court’s order today to stay the lower court rulings is great news, as it means mifepristone will remain available in the interim for the lives and welfare of millions of people who might need this drug that has been FDA-approved as safe and effective for 23 years.

“As physicians, we at CMA believe it is critical that patients have access to vital, often life-saving reproductive health services. We stand committed to doing all we can to protect the fundamental human right to access reproductive health services, and we will work to safeguard personal medical decisions that should be made by patients in consultation with their health care providers, not ideologically driven lawmakers or judges without medical or scientific training.

“While today’s decision means there is no change in access or availability of the medication for now, the case at issue, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration et al., will now proceed before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, so the legal battle continues.”