Hochul, Healey, James react to supreme court abortion pill ruling

The Supreme Court is preserving women’s access to a commonly used abortion pill.

Mifepristone was approved for use in the United States in 2000 and more than 5 million people have used it.

Advocacy groups and some doctors had sued to ban the drug, claiming the FDA ignored safety risks.

The case will continue before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, and the pill will remain available for now.

Gov. Kathy Hochul released a statement about the Supreme Court decision. She thanks the Biden administration and the Department of Justice for working fast and stopping the politicized effort to block the abortion pill.

Abortion will continue to be protected and will always be available under her watch in New York State, Hochul said. New York will continue to be safe for those in need of reproductive care, she said.

New York Attorney General Letitia James also reacted. The decision is a major relief for millions of Americans who have been worried about access to reproductive health care, James said.

The full force of her office will continue to be used to ensure medication abortion options remain available and protected in New York State, she went on to say.

James said, “it’s your body, and it should always be your choice.”

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is also weighing in. The Supreme Court decision is a victory for patients and providers across the country, for science, medicine, and the law, Healey said.

We should never have gotten to this point where the approval was brought into question, she said.

In Massachusetts, she pledged she will continue to stand up for civil rights and freedom, and always protect access to reproductive health care, including medication abortion.