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Despite a reprieve by the US supreme court, a growing number of Democratic states are stockpiling abortion pills as the legal fight for access to the abortion drug mifepristone is set to continue.
On Friday, the supreme court decided to temporarily block a lower-court ruling that would have significantly restricted the availability of mifepristone, an FDA-approved abortion medication.
Nevertheless, as the case continues to wind through America’s court system and remains challenged by anti-abortion groups, more Democratic states are now stockpiling abortion pills amid an unpredictable legal battle.
Earlier this month, Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas, issued a preliminary injunction that suspended the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, calling it a drug that is used to “kill the unborn human”.
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Swiftly after Mr Kacsmaryk’s ruling, Democratic states began stockpiling mifepristone as well as misoprostol, the second drug in the abortion regimen which can also be used on its own, although less effectively.
At the Massachusetts governor Maura Healey’s request, the University of Massachusetts Amherst has purchased about 15,000 doses of mifepristone. The stockpile is expected to offer “sufficient coverage” in the state for over a year.
“Mifepristone has been used safely for more than 20 years and is the gold standard. Here in Massachusetts, we are not going to let one extremist judge in Texas turn back the clock on this proven medication and restrict access to care in our state,” Ms Healey said last week.
Meanwhile, the Democratic governors of New York and California both announced plans to stockpile misoprostol in attempts to safeguard their states’ abortion access.
The governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, recently announced a partnership with the University of Maryland’s medical system to purchase a “substantial amount of mifepristone”. On Thursday, Oregon made a similar announcement, with its governor Tina Kotek revealing the state had secured a three-year supply.
In the past nine months, 13 states have banned abortion. With anti-abortion groups fighting for increased pill restrictions nationwide, even states that have legalised the procedure may become affected.
Following the supreme court’s decision to temporarily block mifepristone restrictions, the next stage of the litigious battle over the drug will take place in the fifth circuit, with oral arguments scheduled for May 17th. The case will then likely return back to the supreme court.
Meanwhile, the Joe Biden administration and civil rights organisations promised to continue fighting for reproductive rights.