2023 Advocacy Activities
SMFM supports policies to advance optimal and equitable perinatal outcomes for all who desire or experience pregnancy, and we prioritize those proposals aimed at eliminating health inequities. Letters, testimony, and other documents related to SMFM’s advocacy efforts in 2023 can be found below.
Federal Activities
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October 5, 2023: SMFM joined 15 members of the Coalition to Advance Maternal Therapeutics in sending a letter to FDA leadership calling on them to update regulations governing the inclusion of pregnant people in clinical research.
May 17, 2023: SMFM joined nearly 30 organizations in writing to House and Senate leaders requesting sustained funding in FY 2024 for the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) research program at National Institutes of Health (NIH).
March 27, 2023: SMFM joined 60 organizations in a letter calling on Congressional leaders to provide increased funding for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in FY 2024.
March 24, 2023: SMFM joined nearly 20 groups to send a letter to Congressional leaders in the House and Senate requesting increased funding for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in FY 2024.
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October 9, 2023: SMFM joined nearly 55 organizations in sending a letter to Congressional leaders opposing funding cuts to the Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant in the FY 2024 spending bill.
September 20, 2023: SMFM joined more than 110 partner organizations in a letter calling on leaders of the Senate HELP Committee to protect funding for Prevention and Public Health Fund.
June 8, 2023: SMFM joined more than 75 partner organizations to endorse the House and Senate versions of the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2023, which renews federal research, education, and intervention activities related to preterm birth.
March 24, 2023: SMFM joined nearly 90 organizations in sending a letter to Congressional leadership requesting additional funding in FY 2024 to improve the nation's public health data infrastructure.
March 24, 2023: SMFM joined 60 partner organizations in sending a letter to Congressional leaders urging strong support for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC Program), including increased funding in FY 2024.
March 23, 2023: SMFM joined nearly 100 partner organizations in a letter urging Congressional leaders to increase funding for the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) in FY 2024.
March 22, 2023: SMFM joined more than 140 partner organizations in a letter calling on Congressional leaders to increase funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in FY 2024.
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October 6, 2023: SMFM joined partners in an amicus brief to the fifth circuit court of appeals in the case of Braidwood Management v. Becerra. Following a cross-appeal on the lower court’s decision by the state, we submitted this brief to address the importance of the preventive services recommended by HRSA and ACIP.
September 14, 2023: SMFM sent the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) a letter in support of Pfizer’s newly approved respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, which is approved for active immunization of pregnant individuals at 32 through 36 weeks of gestation.
June 27, 2023: SMFM joined an amicus brief to the fifth circuit court of appeals in the case of Braidwood Management v. Becerra, which challenges the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that insurers provide no-cost coverage for certain preventive health services. The brief outlines the importance of providing preventive service without cost-sharing, especially for obstetric patients.
April 28, 2023: SMFM joined an amicus brief in the case of Braidwood Management v. Becerra, which challenges the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that insurers provide no-cost coverage for certain preventive health services. The brief outlines the importance of providing preventive service without cost-sharing, especially for obstetric patients.
March 20, 2023: SMFM responded to a request for information from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee on policies to address health care workforce shortages.
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October 17, 2023: SMFM joined partnering organizations in an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to preserve access to mifepristone in the case Danco Laboratories, LLC v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al.
July 27, 2023: SMFM joined more than 100 organizations in a letter to Congressional leaders opposing efforts to restrict mifepristone access through the FY 2024 federal appropriations process.
June 20, 2023: SMFM joined 5 other OB/GYN specialty societies in a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services commenting on proposed regulations strengthening disclosure requirements for protected health information related to reproductive health care.
May 8, 2023: SMFM joined partner organizations to file an amicus brief outlining the importance of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires clinicians to provide stabilizing medical care, including abortion care, to patients experiencing medical emergencies. The brief was filed in a Texas lawsuit challenging the federal government’s interpretation of EMTALA.
April 14, 2023: SMFM joined partnering organizations in an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in the case Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The brief supports the Department of Justice's request for the Supreme Court to issue a complete stay of Judge Kacsmaryk's ruling.
April 13, 2023: Together with ACOG, SMFM issued a public statement urging the Supreme Court to reverse the Fifth Circuit's April 7 decision in its entirety and restore access to mifepristone.
April 11, 2023: SMFM joined partnering organizations in an amicus brief to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in the case Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The brief supports the Justice Department's request for the 5th Circuit to put the District's Court ruling to stay the FDA's approval of mifepristone on hold.
March 31, 2023: SMFM joined nearly 75 partner organizations in sending a letter urging Congressional leaders to increase funding for international family planning and reproductive health programs and address policies that limit the effectiveness of these programs in FY 2024 federal spending legislation.
March 24, 2023: SMFM joined partnering organizations in an amicus brief to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington in the case of State of Washington et al. v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration et. al., which is challenging the FDA's Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) restrictions on mifepristone. This brief supports the plaintiff's position and details that mifepristone is extremely safe and effective, and that the REMS restrictions are medically unnecessary.
March 23, 2023: SMFM joined nearly 70 partner organizations in a letter to Congressional leaders calling for increased funding in FY 2024 for the Title X Family Planning Program and other important federal family planning programs.
March 6, 2023: SMFM joined the Society of Family Planning and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in sending a letter to the FDA Commissioner seeking information on plans to respond to a potential disruption in access to mifepristone.
February 10, 2023: SMFM joined partnering organizations in an amicus brief in the case of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. FDA, which challenges the FDA's approval of mifepristone. The brief details that mifepristone is safe, effective, and a critical component to obstetric and gynecological care.