The committee delineated safeguards that are necessary to manage emergencies that might arise from an abortion procedure, such as resuscitation and monitoring equipment to be located in a facility for procedures involving moderate and deep sedation. However, they did not find any evidence that it is necessary for clinicians performing abortions to have hospital admitting privileges. In the Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt decision in 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the admitting privileges requirement in Texas was an undue burden on access to care. The committee wrote that it is sufficient for the facility to have an emergency transfer plan in place.
The committee also identified areas for further evaluation. First, whether the Food and Drug Administration should expand the distribution of mifepristone, the only drug currently approved for medication abortions, but which can only be dispensed to patients in clinics, hospitals, or medical offices under the supervision of a certified prescriber. The committee also called for examining more effective methods of pain management, whether advanced practice clinicians can be trained to perform D&Es, and ways to provide more social and psychological supports for lower-income women or who are at risk of intimate partner or other forms of violence.