Yesterday, a Texas judge took the outrageous step of banning access to the drug mifepristone–medication that has been used safely for abortion care and the management of miscarriages for over 20 years. I joined an amicus brief in the Texas case defending the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone as safe and effective and strongly opposed the ideological and unscientific position that the approval should be withdrawn. And I will do so again when that case is appealed.
To protect access to mifepristone, I also joined a coalition of 18 State attorneys general in a separate lawsuit to protect access to mifepristone, which led to a ruling by a judge in Washington State requiring that mifepristone remain available. This article provides more context on the issue, and includes my statement about these horrendous attacks on reproductive health care.
As Justice Ginsburg emphasized in her confirmation hearing 30 years ago, safe and legal access to abortion care is critical to women’s bodily autonomy and equality. It’s absurd that we are still fighting this battle decades later. And as we do, I will heed RBG’s counsel–fight for the things you believe in, and do it in a way that others will join you.
As we continue the fight for reproductive rights, I am optimistic that we will prevail. After all, a clear majority of Americans are now standing up for access to legal and safe abortion care. And I believe their voices will ultimately prevail, as they did in Kansas last summer and in the important Wisconsin Supreme Court election this week.
