Latest On Abortion Laws
April 13, 2023
During the last couple of weeks, various states have begun stocking up on abortion pills, with a scare that soon they will no longer be available in the United States. Governor Gavin Newsom’s office is planning to make an emergency stock of up to 2 million pills of Misoprostol, which is the subject of legal battles in the federal courts. The state currently has about 250,000 abortion pills covering about 12,000 Misoprostol-only abortions. The state has plans to purchase more as time goes on.
In Massachusetts, Governor Maura Healy said that her state has about 15,000 pills stocked, which gives a year’s worth of coverage. They have hopes to purchase enough for 3 years as soon as it’s available.
“While California still believes Mifepristone is central to the proffered regimen for medication abortion, the state negotiated and purchased an emergency stockpile of Misoprostol in anticipation of Friday’s ruling by far-right federal judge Matthew Kacsmaryk to ensure that California remains a safe haven for safe, affordable, and accessible reproductive care,” Newsom’s office said in a statement provided to NPR.
In the United States, a majority of medication-aided abortions include two drugs; Mifepristone followed by Misoprostol, which have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Anti-abortion groups have made several statements and attempts of how these drugs should be removed from the market. This law is scheduled to go into effect in just a few days unless the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals intervenes. Any pharmacies facing a shortage will be directed to a state website where they can request pills from the Misoprostol supply.