Global Courant 2023-04-11 19:21:34
A growing number of states led by Democratic governors are stockpiling drugs used in drug-induced abortions amid fears a court ruling could limit access to the most common method of abortion in the US
Massachusetts has bought enough doses of the drug mifepristone — one of two drugs used in combination to terminate pregnancies — to last more than a year, Democratic Governor Maura Healey said Monday. California has secured an emergency supply of up to 2 million pills of misoprostol, the other drug used in abortion medication, Governor Newsom, also a Democrat, announced.
And in Washington state, Democratic Governor Jay Inslee announced last week that the state had purchased 30,000 doses of the generic version of mifepristone — which he says is enough to last the state’s residents for three years. The shipment arrived at the end of March.
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“Abortion is still legal and accessible here in California and we will not stand by as basic freedoms are taken away,” Newsom said Friday.
The actions come as U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee in Amarillo, Texas, on Friday set aside decades of scientific approval and put mifepristone’s federal approval on hold.
The judge postponed his ruling for a week to allow federal authorities to appeal.
The Biden administration condemned the ruling and appealed the decision Monday, saying it would frustrate the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s scientific judgment and “seriously harm women, especially those for whom mifepristone is a medical or practical necessity.” .
Governor Maura Healey, front right, faces reporters as Andrea Campbell, left, from Massachusetts, watches on April 10, 2023 in Boston. Massachusetts is one of the states stockpiling doses of mifepristone, according to a statement from Governor Healey on Monday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Adding to the confusion was a second opinion also released on Friday by District Judge Thomas O. Rice, an Obama appointee, who directed US authorities not to make any changes that would limit access to the drug in at least least 17 states where Democrats sued to protect availability.
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Healey said the Kacsmaryk ruling threatens access to the medication, even in states that support abortion rights, such as Massachusetts.
“It harms patients, undermines medical expertise and deprives freedom. It is an attempt to punish, shame and marginalize women. It is not necessary,” said Healey, surrounded by fellow Democratic lawmakers, including U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, on the steps of the Massachusetts State Building.
“It’s awful. It’s awful,” she added.
Newsom said Kacsmaryk’s ruling “ignores facts, science and the law” and puts the health of millions of women and girls at risk.
Inslee said it’s important for states to take steps to ensure access to the drug.
“After announcing our actions to protect access to mifepristone last week, it is encouraging to see other states doing the same,” Inslee wrote on Twitter Monday. “To be clear, whatever the outcome of the TX case, WA’s laws allow us to sell and distribute this drug.”
The 15,000 doses in Massachusetts were purchased by the University of Massachusetts-Amherst at Healey’s request.
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Massachusetts health care providers have also agreed to purchase additional quantities of mifepristone, according to Healey, who said the administration is allocating $1 million to help health care providers contracted with the Department of Health pay for the doses.
While there are no plans yet to stockpile mifepristone in Connecticut, Attorney General William Tong said Monday that he has contacted major pharmacy chains to remind them that the drug is legal and that they should not be swayed by pressure from GOP attorneys general in other states.
“(I am) clearly deeply disappointed that my colleagues took that action,” he said. “We insist. We communicate with all major pharmacy chains and advise them of their rights and obligations here in Connecticut.”
Also on Friday, Healey signed an executive order expanding a 2022 law intended to build a legal firewall around abortion services — to protect healthcare providers, patients and pharmacists from out-of-state investigations into drug-induced abortions. The law was signed into law following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.
