Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
@ushma.bsky.social
Professor at UCSF, Public health scientist trained in epi and demography. Expertise in #abortion safety & access, telehealth medication abortion, gender, adolescents. I’m also anti-guns.
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Mayor Pete has the right to marry because the gay men and lesbians who came before him fought for it. It was a movement based our identities in the plural sense as LGBTQ Americans. Pander somewhere else fella.
Speaking at a Texas Tribune Festival on Friday, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg criticized the Democratic Party for failing to reach everyday Americans, arguing that it “got sucked in” to a conversation about identity. #TribFest25
Pete Buttigieg critiques Democrats for focus on identity
The former U.S. transportation secretary said the Democratic Party should focus more on issues gripping the country, such as health care and housing affordability.
www.texastribune.org
November 14, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Mayor Pete has the right to marry because the gay men and lesbians who came before him fought for it. It was a movement based our identities in the plural sense as LGBTQ Americans. Pander somewhere else fella.
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
“What they need to do is look at the published literature on telehealth for medication abortion, and what they would find is that it is as safe and effective as in-person care."
@ushma.bsky.social of @ansirh.bsky.social discusses the FDA's questionable review of medication abortion safety
@ushma.bsky.social of @ansirh.bsky.social discusses the FDA's questionable review of medication abortion safety
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tells FDA to review safety of mifepristone
Years of scientific evidence from rigorous studies have overwhelmingly established the safety and effectiveness of the abortion pill.
pennsylvaniaindependent.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:01 PM
“What they need to do is look at the published literature on telehealth for medication abortion, and what they would find is that it is as safe and effective as in-person care."
@ushma.bsky.social of @ansirh.bsky.social discusses the FDA's questionable review of medication abortion safety
@ushma.bsky.social of @ansirh.bsky.social discusses the FDA's questionable review of medication abortion safety
Hallelujah! We passed prop 50!!
a close up of a white dog wearing a flower crown .
ALT: a close up of a white dog wearing a flower crown .
media.tenor.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:22 AM
Hallelujah! We passed prop 50!!
Anti-abortion advocates are pushing for review of the drug’s safety, claiming there’s “new evidence to consider” based on new junk science reports that were put up on the internet.
pennsylvaniaindependent.com/reproductive...
pennsylvaniaindependent.com/reproductive...
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tells FDA to review safety of mifepristone
Years of scientific evidence from rigorous studies have overwhelmingly established the safety and effectiveness of the abortion pill.
pennsylvaniaindependent.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:17 AM
Anti-abortion advocates are pushing for review of the drug’s safety, claiming there’s “new evidence to consider” based on new junk science reports that were put up on the internet.
pennsylvaniaindependent.com/reproductive...
pennsylvaniaindependent.com/reproductive...
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
“If the FDA were to do an actual review based on gold-standard science, I think they would actually end up removing the barriers that remain on mifepristone." ANSIRH's @ushma.bsky.social to @sciam.bsky.social #AbortionAccurate
Decades of Evidence Show the Abortion Pill Is Safe. So Why Is the FDA Investigating It Again?
Some scientists are concerned that the Trump administration will use “junk science” when reviewing mifepristone’s safety record
www.scientificamerican.com
November 2, 2025 at 5:29 PM
“If the FDA were to do an actual review based on gold-standard science, I think they would actually end up removing the barriers that remain on mifepristone." ANSIRH's @ushma.bsky.social to @sciam.bsky.social #AbortionAccurate
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Congratulations to Society Board member Blair Darney, PhD, MLH for her appointment as incoming Editor-in-Chief of Contraception, the official journal of the Society of Family Planning.
www.contraceptionjournal.org
www.contraceptionjournal.org
October 17, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Congratulations to Society Board member Blair Darney, PhD, MLH for her appointment as incoming Editor-in-Chief of Contraception, the official journal of the Society of Family Planning.
www.contraceptionjournal.org
www.contraceptionjournal.org
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Missouri appeals court rules against attorney general, allows abortions to continue www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
Missouri appeals court rules against attorney general, allows abortions to continue
Abortion will remain available at Planned Parenthood clinics in Missouri, a judge ruled, rejecting a request by the attorney general’s office to reinstate several restrictions on the procedure.
www.stltoday.com
October 15, 2025 at 4:23 AM
Missouri appeals court rules against attorney general, allows abortions to continue www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
"With this new one, it’s possible that the price could come down further," ANSIRH'S @ushma.bsky.social told Newsday, "which would really increase access, especially for people [living in states] with abortion bans who have these tremendous barriers to abortion care."
What to know about the new FDA-approved generic abortion pill
The federal drug regulating agency approved an additional generic version of the abortion drug mifepristone.
www.newsday.com
October 14, 2025 at 9:43 PM
"With this new one, it’s possible that the price could come down further," ANSIRH'S @ushma.bsky.social told Newsday, "which would really increase access, especially for people [living in states] with abortion bans who have these tremendous barriers to abortion care."
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Big moment for me, my first-ever publication credit!
The Digital Defense Fund team contributed to this paper on practical data privacy practices for research with abortion seekers, including those facing the most serious threats. Just out in Contraception:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The Digital Defense Fund team contributed to this paper on practical data privacy practices for research with abortion seekers, including those facing the most serious threats. Just out in Contraception:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Society of Family Planning Research Practice Support: Digital and data security for abortion research in a post-Dobbs era—A primer for qualitative researchers
Abortion is banned or severely restricted in nearly half of the United States. Research on the impact of these restrictions and abortion care has neve…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 14, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Big moment for me, my first-ever publication credit!
The Digital Defense Fund team contributed to this paper on practical data privacy practices for research with abortion seekers, including those facing the most serious threats. Just out in Contraception:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The Digital Defense Fund team contributed to this paper on practical data privacy practices for research with abortion seekers, including those facing the most serious threats. Just out in Contraception:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Research on pregnancy has become a lot harder to study because of concerns about causing any sort of harm to the fetus could potentially invoke fetal personhood laws or #abortion laws.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
RFK Jr.’s got advice for pregnant women. There’s limited data to support it.
Women of reproductive age have long been missing from clinical trials. It’s getting worse where abortion is banned.
www.politico.com
October 14, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Research on pregnancy has become a lot harder to study because of concerns about causing any sort of harm to the fetus could potentially invoke fetal personhood laws or #abortion laws.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
At least 101 studies in 26 countries over three decades have found that medication abortions are very safe.
But the FDA is reevaluating access to medication abortion pills based on one politically motivated junk-science “study.” This is unacceptable.
www.cnn.com/2025/09/25/h...
But the FDA is reevaluating access to medication abortion pills based on one politically motivated junk-science “study.” This is unacceptable.
www.cnn.com/2025/09/25/h...
Federal agencies are studying safety of abortion drug mifepristone, driving new concerns about limits on access | CNN
The US Food and Drug Administration is reviewing evidence about the safety and efficacy of mifepristone, one of the drugs used in medication abortion, to investigate how it can be safely dispensed,…
www.cnn.com
September 30, 2025 at 4:29 PM
At least 101 studies in 26 countries over three decades have found that medication abortions are very safe.
But the FDA is reevaluating access to medication abortion pills based on one politically motivated junk-science “study.” This is unacceptable.
www.cnn.com/2025/09/25/h...
But the FDA is reevaluating access to medication abortion pills based on one politically motivated junk-science “study.” This is unacceptable.
www.cnn.com/2025/09/25/h...
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
ANSIRH's @ushma.bsky.social put together a 9-point review of the report's major flaws. Very little information is provided about the source of the data, and the level of risk the report found to be associated with mifepristone is overstated. www.ansirh.org/research/res...
ANSIRH Debunks Questionable Junk Analysis on Abortion Safety
Health and Human Services Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary have expressed plans to conduct a new review of mifepristone’s safety based on an unverified and biased…
www.ansirh.org
September 30, 2025 at 4:29 PM
ANSIRH's @ushma.bsky.social put together a 9-point review of the report's major flaws. Very little information is provided about the source of the data, and the level of risk the report found to be associated with mifepristone is overstated. www.ansirh.org/research/res...
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Proud to have signed on to this letter, along with many other colleagues in the field (including @guttmacher.org researchers @cbpolis.bsky.social , @megankavanaugh.bsky.social, Kathryn Kost, Rachel Jones, Ann Moore and Beth Sully)
Today we and our colleagues at @ansirh.bsky.social submitted a letter to the FDA for over 260 researchers affirming the 25-year safety record of mifepristone and urging the FDA not to restrict abortion pill access based on junk science. Read the letter here: law.ucla.edu/sites/defaul...
August 27, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Proud to have signed on to this letter, along with many other colleagues in the field (including @guttmacher.org researchers @cbpolis.bsky.social , @megankavanaugh.bsky.social, Kathryn Kost, Rachel Jones, Ann Moore and Beth Sully)
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Abbe Lowell and I represent CDC Director #SusanMonarez. Contrary to govt statements, Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor yet been fired. She will not resign. We have issued the following statement:
August 27, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Abbe Lowell and I represent CDC Director #SusanMonarez. Contrary to govt statements, Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor yet been fired. She will not resign. We have issued the following statement:
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
If they can’t outlaw abortion pills, anti-abortion activists will try to make them impossible to access.
Costco just caved to pressure to stop selling mifepristone.
Costco just caved to pressure to stop selling mifepristone.
Costco Forgoes Sale of Abortion Pill, Emboldening Religious Groups
A coalition of faith-based activists had pressured the retailer to not offer the abortion pill mifepristone in its pharmacy locations. The group now turns its focus to CVS and Walgreens.
www.bloomberg.com
August 23, 2025 at 4:29 PM
If they can’t outlaw abortion pills, anti-abortion activists will try to make them impossible to access.
Costco just caved to pressure to stop selling mifepristone.
Costco just caved to pressure to stop selling mifepristone.
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Today we submitted a letter with @uclarepropolicy.bsky.social to the FDA signed by over 200 scientists.
The short version? Medication abortion is safe. Time to drop the junk science and move on. law.ucla.edu/reproductive...
The short version? Medication abortion is safe. Time to drop the junk science and move on. law.ucla.edu/reproductive...
Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy Reproductive Health Researchers Comment Letter to FDA
On August 27th, 2025, UCLA Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy (CRHLP) and Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) at UCSF submitted a letter on behalf of more than 260 rese...
law.ucla.edu
August 27, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Today we submitted a letter with @uclarepropolicy.bsky.social to the FDA signed by over 200 scientists.
The short version? Medication abortion is safe. Time to drop the junk science and move on. law.ucla.edu/reproductive...
The short version? Medication abortion is safe. Time to drop the junk science and move on. law.ucla.edu/reproductive...
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
I'm proud to have signed this and furious that it was necessary. The science is clear: mifepristone is safe. The current efforts to throw that science into question shouldn't even be worthy of consideration, let alone debunking.
Today we and our colleagues at @ansirh.bsky.social submitted a letter to the FDA for over 260 researchers affirming the 25-year safety record of mifepristone and urging the FDA not to restrict abortion pill access based on junk science. Read the letter here: law.ucla.edu/sites/defaul...
August 27, 2025 at 7:39 PM
I'm proud to have signed this and furious that it was necessary. The science is clear: mifepristone is safe. The current efforts to throw that science into question shouldn't even be worthy of consideration, let alone debunking.
I am proud to have helped draft and be lead signer on our letter urging the FDA to follow the gold-standard science on mifepristone for medication #abortion!
Today we submitted a letter with @uclarepropolicy.bsky.social to the FDA signed by over 200 scientists.
The short version? Medication abortion is safe. Time to drop the junk science and move on. law.ucla.edu/reproductive...
The short version? Medication abortion is safe. Time to drop the junk science and move on. law.ucla.edu/reproductive...
Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy Reproductive Health Researchers Comment Letter to FDA
On August 27th, 2025, UCLA Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy (CRHLP) and Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) at UCSF submitted a letter on behalf of more than 260 rese...
law.ucla.edu
August 27, 2025 at 5:28 PM
I am proud to have helped draft and be lead signer on our letter urging the FDA to follow the gold-standard science on mifepristone for medication #abortion!
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Medical Abortion:
Action Needed to Ensure Compliance with Medicaid Drug Rebate Program
GAO-25-107911
Published: Aug 26, 2026. Publicly Released: Aug 26, 2025.
www.gao.gov/products/gao...
Action Needed to Ensure Compliance with Medicaid Drug Rebate Program
GAO-25-107911
Published: Aug 26, 2026. Publicly Released: Aug 26, 2025.
www.gao.gov/products/gao...
www.gao.gov
August 26, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Medical Abortion:
Action Needed to Ensure Compliance with Medicaid Drug Rebate Program
GAO-25-107911
Published: Aug 26, 2026. Publicly Released: Aug 26, 2025.
www.gao.gov/products/gao...
Action Needed to Ensure Compliance with Medicaid Drug Rebate Program
GAO-25-107911
Published: Aug 26, 2026. Publicly Released: Aug 26, 2025.
www.gao.gov/products/gao...
Costco said it won’t sell Mifepristone for medication #abortion.
Watch this 11-minute, fact-packed discussion on why this matters.
Non-members might shrug. But for #Costco fans, it’s alarming—Costco isn’t just bulk toilet paper. It’s a shopping dreamland, and what it chooses not to carry matters.
Watch this 11-minute, fact-packed discussion on why this matters.
Non-members might shrug. But for #Costco fans, it’s alarming—Costco isn’t just bulk toilet paper. It’s a shopping dreamland, and what it chooses not to carry matters.
Costco announced they will not stock mifepristone in their pharmacies. Contrary to viral social media posts, this IS a big deal and it DOES mean that they caved to pressure from far-right MAGA anti-woman conservatives. Here I go over the evidence and what you can do skepchick.org/2025/08/cost...
Costco Gives Misogynists a Win by Not Selling Abortion Medication
Transcript: You may have recently heard some news about Costco and the abortion medication mifepristone. Today I want to address some misinformation about that, AND some misinformation ABOUT the mi…
skepchick.org
August 26, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Medication abortion is extremely safe. Pharmacies should be able to stock it and dispense it.
"We know pharmacies dispense other drugs with much greater risks without all these restrictions and certification requirements," said @ushma.bsky.social in @politico.com www.politico.com/news/2023/01...
"We know pharmacies dispense other drugs with much greater risks without all these restrictions and certification requirements," said @ushma.bsky.social in @politico.com www.politico.com/news/2023/01...
August 26, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Medication abortion is extremely safe. Pharmacies should be able to stock it and dispense it.
"We know pharmacies dispense other drugs with much greater risks without all these restrictions and certification requirements," said @ushma.bsky.social in @politico.com www.politico.com/news/2023/01...
"We know pharmacies dispense other drugs with much greater risks without all these restrictions and certification requirements," said @ushma.bsky.social in @politico.com www.politico.com/news/2023/01...
Oh Costco, just yesterday I admired you so. Today, you've crushed me. 😥 #CostcoDisappointment #abortion
🎁 link:
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
🎁 link:
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
Costco Forgoes Sale of Abortion Pill, Emboldening Religious Groups
A coalition of faith-based activists had pressured the retailer to not offer the abortion pill mifepristone in its pharmacy locations. The group now turns its focus to CVS and Walgreens.
urldefense.com
August 14, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Oh Costco, just yesterday I admired you so. Today, you've crushed me. 😥 #CostcoDisappointment #abortion
🎁 link:
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
🎁 link:
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Really enjoyed talking to Lizzy McNeill on the BBC More or Less podcast about trends in abortion provision post Dobbs (along with @ushma.bsky.social !) podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...
Are abortion numbers rising in the US?
Podcast Episode · More or Less: Behind the Stats · 08/06/2025 · 9m
podcasts.apple.com
August 6, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Really enjoyed talking to Lizzy McNeill on the BBC More or Less podcast about trends in abortion provision post Dobbs (along with @ushma.bsky.social !) podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Ready to dive into the latest data on how abortion volume is shifting across the US?
Explore our newly revamped #WeCount page, where you can build your own custom charts and downloadable tables using the new data explorer.
societyfp.org/research/wec...
Explore our newly revamped #WeCount page, where you can build your own custom charts and downloadable tables using the new data explorer.
societyfp.org/research/wec...
#WeCount - Society of Family Planning
The Society of Family Planning is the source for abortion and contraception science.
societyfp.org
August 7, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Ready to dive into the latest data on how abortion volume is shifting across the US?
Explore our newly revamped #WeCount page, where you can build your own custom charts and downloadable tables using the new data explorer.
societyfp.org/research/wec...
Explore our newly revamped #WeCount page, where you can build your own custom charts and downloadable tables using the new data explorer.
societyfp.org/research/wec...
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
As an #NIH employee, I support our #EPA colleagues in their #DeclarationofDissent. You can sign it, too. #FEDStrong
July 14, 2025 at 10:50 PM
As an #NIH employee, I support our #EPA colleagues in their #DeclarationofDissent. You can sign it, too. #FEDStrong