Gov. Newsom Announces State Stockpile Of 2 Million Abortion Pills

Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Monday that, due to a recent U.S. District Court ruling on the U.S. improperly approving the abortion pill Mifepristone over 20 years ago and thereby putting legality up in the air, California would begin stockpiling 2 million pills of the similar drug Misoprostol.

Since Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was passed in the U.S. Supreme Court last year, states across the U.S. have been fluctuating on abortion legality. Some states have all but outright banned the practice, while others, such as California, have expanded abortion legality, becoming abortion sanctuary states. For California, this has included subsidizing abortions, creating incentives for people out of state to travel to California for abortions, and, most recently, attempting to remove state contracts from pharmacies for removing abortion pill access in states that outlawed the pills.

However, two court rulings on Friday brought forth another speed bump. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of Texas ruled on Friday that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) improperly approved the abortion pill Mifepristone in 2000, with the pausing of the FDA’s approval due to come this coming Friday. Only hours later, another District Court judge, Thomas Rice of Washington state, ruled that the FDA would be barred from altering the status quo on Mifepristone in 17 states and the District of Columbia.

While the Biden Administration appealed the Texas ruling to a higher court, the most popular and widely used abortion pill is now somewhere in legal limbo. To prepare for a ban, Governor Newsom announced on Monday that California had  secured an emergency stockpile of up to 2 million pills of the similar abortion drug Misoprostol.

A stockpile of abortion pills

According to a statement from the Governor’s office, “While California still believes Mifepristone is central to the preferred 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. More than 250,000 pills have already arrived in California, and the State has negotiated the ability to purchase up to 2 million Misoprostol pills as needed through CalRx. To support other states in securing Misoprostol at a low cost, California has shared the negotiated terms of the purchase agreement with all states in the Reproductive Freedom Alliance.”

Governor Newsom also gave a brief statement, noting, “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. We will not cave to extremists who are trying to outlaw these critical abortion services. Medication abortion remains legal in California.”

NEW: Yet another extremist judge is stripping women of their freedom –this time by blocking access to a pill that provides safe medication abortions.

CA will not stand idly by. We have secured up to 2 million pills of Misoprostol, a safe and effective medication abortion drug.

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) April 10, 2023

Many medical experts noted on Monday that the stockpiles were wildly unnecessary, due to where the courts were likely heading with the Mifepristone case.

“The Texas ruling is currently being fought against, so it is unlikely to be held up,” explained Dr. Andreas Lopez, a physician who also acts as a consult to lawyers over medical legal cases, to the Globe on Monday. “Over half of all abortions are by the pill, and the drug has been legal since 2000. It’s currently going to an appellate court which in all likelihood will block it, plus the Washington ruling allowing access are just a lot. Stockpiling is the last thing you want to do. What it is is just a gesture showing where Newsom stands on the issue, rather than be a defender of abortion.”

“Plus, remember, the drug is also used for miscarriages. By hoarding the drug, Newsom could be depriving someone out of California from getting the vital drug to help them through that rough time. So it’s a bit selfish too.”

More legal updates on the situation of the abortion drugs are due soon.