Governor Gavin Newsom announced Monday that California will stockpile an emergency supply of 2 million abortion pills called misoprostol in response to a federal judge in Texas. judgment against authorization of another drug that has been used to terminate pregnancy for decades.
“In response to this extreme ban on medical abortion pills, our state has secured a stockpile of alternative medicine abortion pills to ensure that Californians continue to have access to safe reproductive health treatments,” Newsom said in a statement. “We will not give in to extremists trying to outlaw these vital abortion services. Medical abortion is still legal in California.”
The following announcement US District Judgment of Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk Friday aims to invalidate Federal Food and Drug Administration approval mifepristone, an abortion pill helped millions of women to medically end their pregnancy early. The judge has given seven days for the ruling to take effect, and the Biden administration is appealing the decision.
Newsom said the judge’s ruling “ignore truth, science and law” in a way that puts “the health of millions of women and girls at risk.”
“Abortion is still legal and accessible in California and we will not stand by and watch when basic freedoms are taken away,” he said.
Newsom’s announcement is the latest escalation in a feud between Republican and Democratic-led states over access to abortion since The US Supreme Court overturned the landmark federal abortion rights case Roe vs. Wade in June. In the last year, several Democratic-run states have strengthened their laws to keep abortion legal, while several Republican-led states have restricted access to the procedure. this or, in some cases, completely ban it.
California is one of 21 states that recently formed the so-called Reproductive Freedom Coalition to protect and expand reproductive health care. Last year, California enacted more than a dozen new laws to protect and increase access to abortion And provide additional funding for services and outreach. Voters passed a bill that was voted on in November to systematizing abortion rights in the state constitutionensure that California remains a haven for those who want to have an abortion.
“I think on the national scene, Newsom is clearly creating a contrast,” said Robin Swanson, a Democratic political strategist. “I don’t think it’s going to change the hearts and minds of the Supreme Court, but I do think it gives a sense of security to women looking for these health care services across the country, that there is a place for them to go while the national debate seems to be simmering.”
Newsom has enjoyed his confrontational approach over the past year, including sponsor billboards in seven states with restrictive abortion lawstold women there that California “will protect your right to make health decisions.”
Mifepristone is used in combination with misoprostol as a popular abortion option for women in the United States, and research has shown it to be safe and effective. The two-pill procedure can be replaced with one optionally only misoprostol, though that might be less efficient.
While the two-pill process is preferred, Newsom’s office admits, the state is in the process of purchasing up to 2 million misoprostol tablets as an existing backup plan to keep abortions easily accessible in the state. California. More than 250,000 pills have arrived in the state, according to a Newsom administration statement announcing the agreement.
Washington D.C And Massachusetts have taken steps recently to build their own supply of mifepristone as a way to avoid the judgment’s immediate ramifications. Washington Governor Jay Inslee said on April 4 that the state had purchased a three-year supply of the drug, while Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said Monday that 15,000 doses were being shipped.
Julia Spiegel, Newsom’s deputy secretary of legal affairs, said California’s decision to increase the stockpile of misoprostol provides “instant reassurance” for those seeking abortion services in California. And unlike mifepristone, it is not on the radar of current litigation.
“No matter what is happening in court right now, you can still use misoprostol,” says Spiegel.
Anti-abortion advocates, who on Friday celebrated the Texas judge’s decision, denounced Newsom’s effort to keep the abortion pill available in California.
California Family Council President Jonathan Keller said in a statement: “It’s appalling that Gavin Newsom is so obsessed with ending the lives of babies in the womb that he’s trying to hoard all sorts of things. dangerous and potentially illegal drugs. “California has proven once again that the only ‘option’ they care about is abortion.”
Meanwhile, a federal judge in Washington issued a separate ruling on Friday ordering the FDA not to make any changes to the availability of mifepristone, setting up a tentative legal battle. will reach the Supreme Court.
Competition decisions have highlighted the impact of the legal strategy of filing a lawsuit in a particular court in the hope that a friendly judge will hear the case. While a Trump-appointed judge made the decision in Texas, where an anti-abortion group filed a lawsuit seeking to withdraw FDA approval of mifepristone, an Obama-appointed person ruled that status quo using it in a lawsuit brought by 18 Democratic attorneys general. .
In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass and Holly County Supervisors J. Mitchell and Lindsey Horvath held a news conference Monday morning with leaders of the Planned Parenthood Los Angeles organization to confirm the role of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. The county is a “safe haven” for abortion rights following the Texas court ruling.
Both supervisors described the Texas decision as a tactic by anti-abortion advocates to cause fear and confusion around access to health care. Mitchell called the decision “a disgrace” and said it had “no immediate impact on abortion and reproductive health services in Los Angeles County.”
“Speak clearly,” Horvath said. “Whoever comes to Los Angeles County will be safe. You will be protected. And this is what happens when we have a female mayor and all the women on the Board of Supervisors.”
Less clear is what could happen to mifepristone access in the county if the Texas ruling goes into effect, effectively stopping the FDA from approving the drug nationwide.
“We don’t know what will happen next,” said Sue Dunlap, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, adding that they will continue to ensure that women have the right to disrupt medication pregnancy regardless of any confusion.
“Will mifepristone still sell in LA County in the near future? Correct. Is all the things you fear about to happen likely to happen? Correct. Do I wish I could give you a definitive answer on what happens next? Right,” said Dunlap.
If FDA approval is revoked, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department “will not cooperate with efforts to prosecute those seeking abortion care,” Sheriff Robert Luna said in a statement. The announcement was read by Celinda Vázquez, director of public relations for Planned Parenthood Los Angeles.
Joseph Iniguez, Dist. Atty. Chief of Staff to George Gascón.
