Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Some States Stockpiling Mifepristone, Misoprostol Amid Legal Upheaval
Politico: Blue States Are Buying Up Abortion Medication Amid Legal Uncertainty
California and other blue states are rushing to stockpile abortion medication amid uncertainty at the federal level about the status of the drugs. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that California had secured 250,000 misoprostol pills and negotiated the purchase of up to 2 million — the latest move by a state that has repeatedly tried to shore up abortion access in the face of restrictive laws elsewhere. The announcement follows a Texas judge’s decision to invalidate the Food and Drug Administration’s approval for mifepristone, another medication commonly used in the procedure. (Bluth, 4/10)
AP: Some US States Stock Abortion Medications After Court Ruling
Massachusetts has purchased enough doses of the drug mifepristone — one of two drugs used in combination to end pregnancies — to last for more than a year, Democratic Gov. Maura Healey said Monday. California has secured an emergency stockpile of up to 2 million pills of misoprostol, the other drug used in abortion medication, Gov. Newsom, also a Democrat, announced. And in Washington state, Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee announced last week that the state purchased 30,000 doses of the generic version of mifepristone — which he said is enough to last the state’s residents three years. The shipment arrived in late March. (LeBlanc, 4/11)
Mifepristone is still available —
Bloomberg: Abortion Pill Still on Market Despite Judge’s Ruling to Pull It
Pharmacies are pushing ahead with sales of the abortion pill even after a judge’s decision threatens to restrict access to the drug nationwide as soon as Friday. (Rutherford, 4/10)
New Hampshire Public Radio: NH Clinics Say Abortion Pills Are Still Available Following Federal Court Rulings, For Now
Abortion providers in New Hampshire say nothing has changed, for now, in the wake of competing court rulings on a widely used abortion pill. “We are being very clear in our messaging that medication abortion is still available,” said Jinelle Hobson, executive director of Equality Health Center in Concord. “As of today, it is still available. And we will continue to see patients that are seeking that care.” (Cuno-Booth, Furukawa and Liu, 4/10)
The CT Mirror: CT Joins Challenge To Texas Judge's Ruling On Abortion Pill
Days after a federal court judge issued a decision invalidating the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the abortion medication mifepristone, state officials in Connecticut vowed to continue fighting to keep the pill legal. Attorney General William Tong is part of a multistate coalition challenging the ruling by Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the Northern District of Texas. ... For now, the drug is legal and available in Connecticut. But the issue appears likely to reach the Supreme Court. (Carlesso, 4/11)
