Newsom stockpiles 2 million abortion pills following Texas court decision

By RIA ROEBUCK JOSEPH THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

(The Center Square) — A decision by a Texas judge in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA has led to California Gov. Gavin Newsom stockpiling Misoprostol and negotiating to secure up to 2 million more pills.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk granted a motion to “stay” in a case questioning the FDA’s approval of Mifepristone. The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine filed the petition 21 years ago challenging the legality of the FDA’s approval that was made in 2002.

Mifepristone is a synthetic steroid that blocks the hormone progesterone, halts nutrition and ultimately starves the unborn human until death. Because mifepristone alone will not always complete the abortion, FDA mandates a two-step drug regimen: mifepristone to kill the unborn human, followed by misoprostol to induce cramping and contractions to expel the unborn human from the mother’s womb.

“In response to this extremist ban on a medication abortion drug, our state has secured a stockpile of an alternative medication abortion drug to ensure that Californians continue to have access to safe reproductive health treatments,” Gov. Newsom said.

“We will not cave to extremists who are trying to outlaw these critical abortion services. Medication abortion remains legal in California.”

So far the governor has amassed 250,000 Misoprostol pills which induce contractions of the womb. Leaders of California Health & Human Services Agency — including Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, California Surgeon General

Dr. Diana Ramos, Health Care Services Director Michelle Baass, Managed Health Care Director Mary Watanabe, and Health Care Access and Information Director Elizabeth Landsberg — released the following joint statement: “California’s procurement of misoprostol is not only important in securing access to medication abortion, but to reproductive health care at large for all those who need it. In a time when reproductive justice is under siege across the nation, California continues to ensure access to these rights and strategically find innovative ways to increase access to these services. This procurement is yet another way to ensure that access to reproductive health care is never lacking for Californians.” Judge Kacsmaryk “stayed” the application of the ruling for a week to allow an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th

Circuit by the administration. The final ruling could have consequences for all states as the legality of Mifepristone’s approval is at stake.

The Reproductive Freedom Alliance, which was formed in February and consists of 21 governors, vows to proactively work to protect access in advance of the decision, which is expected to be made on Friday.

Gov. Newsom budgeted $40 million is to cover provider costs for people who cannot afford care (known as uncompensated care), and $20 million is for an “Abortion Practical Support Fund” to help cover the costs associated with abortion care, including travel and lodging both for people in California and people forced to come to California due to restrictions in their home state in a legislative package of more than $200 million funds specifically targeting reproductive health care.