Governors of the Reproductive Freedom Alliance Urge Court to Recognize FDA Expertise, Longstanding Authority to Determine Safety of Medications
Governor Hochul Stockpiled a Five-Year Supply of Abortion Medication Misoprostol, Signed Law Protecting Telehealth Reproductive Services, and Allocated $35 Million to Abortion Providers After Overturning of ‘Roe’
Governor Kathy Hochul today joined fellow Governors of the Reproductive Freedom Alliance in filing an amicus curiae brief with the Supreme Court in the case of Food and Drug Administration, et al., v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, arguing that, if the Court allows a Fifth Circuit decision on abortion medication to stand, it could undermine states’ rights to provide adequate healthcare services, and could have far-reaching implications for both residents as well as the scientific authority of the federal Food and Drug Administration.
“Following the Fifth Circuit decision limiting mifepristone — a safe and effective abortion medication utilized for two decades — the Health Department acted quickly to ensure abortion access remained available throughout the state,” said Governor Hochul. “I join fellow Governors throughout the nation in demanding an end to the harmful politicizing of reproductive healthcare, and call on the Court to recognize the longstanding, independent scientific authority of the FDA.”
Mifepristone is an abortion medication that has been used by more than five million people since FDA approval, and it is a critical component of reproductive healthcare. The Fifth Circuit’s unprecedented ruling, if unchecked, overrides the agency’s evidence-based scientific approval process, allowing ideological extremists to overrule medical experts and decades of scientific evidence.
In the wake of the leaked Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Governor Hochul led New York State in protecting abortion access, including making a nation-leading $35 million investment to support abortion providers across the state, purchasing a five-year supply of misoprostol and signing laws protecting patients and providers and strengthening access for abortion care through telehealth services. As part of her FY2024 budget, Governor Hochul allocated $100.7 million in new funding to support abortion providers and reproductive health care. Governor Hochul has also stated that if the abortion medication Mifepristone is taken off the market, New York State will commit up to an additional $20 million to providers to support access to other methods of care.
The Reproductive Freedom Alliance is a non-partisan coalition of 22 Governors committed to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom in our states. Members include: Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Colorado Governor Jared Polis, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Delaware Governor John Carney, Guam Governor Lourdes Leon Guerrero, Hawai'i Governor Josh Green, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Maine Governor Janet Mills, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee, Washington Governor Jay Inslee, and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers.