Research from many countries has demonstrated that different
types of health care providers can safely and effectively provide
medication abortion services. In many parts of the world, mifepristone
and misoprostol is provided by physicians (including general
practitioners, family medicine physicians, internal medicine
physicians, and obstetrician/gynecologists), professional midwives,
physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. Country specific
information about the status of mifepristone is included on our
database.
In the US, different state laws regulate whether or not advanced practice
clinicians can provide medication abortion services. In forty-four states,
non-physicians are specifically precluded from performing aspiration
services. However, in a number of these states, the ability of
advanced practice clinicians to perform medication abortion services
is currently under review, as physician-only laws and regulations
conflict with the prescriptive privileges of these professionals.
Clinicians for
Choice provides information about and legal updates on the status of advance practice clinicians as abortion
service providers.
