Thrive NJ Coalition Statement on Nationwide Threats to Medication Abortion 

For Immediate Release: April 24, 2023

The Thrive NJ Coalition is repulsed by the anti-abortion, extremist attacks against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the abortion medication mifepristone.

On Friday, April 7th, federal judges in Texas and Washington issued conflicting rulings on mifepristone, a medication used in half the abortions in this country. The decision in Texas blocked the FDA’s approval of mifepristone after more than 20 years of safe and effective use for medication abortion and miscarriage care. The impact of the Texas decision has since been put on hold by the U.S. Supreme Court, allowing the appeal to make its way through the Fifth Circuit. As we await the next steps in this legal quagmire, the impact this has had on patients and providers is irreparable. Whatever the outcome, the Texas case will have an impact nation-wide, including in states where abortion remains legal like New Jersey. Our coalition remains at the ready to rise to the occasion to ensure medication abortion access is not undermined in New Jersey.

The ruling in the Texas case is not about science or patient safety. It is just another effort by anti-abortion extremists to further restrict and outright ban abortion care nationwide. While this attempt to erode the patient-provider relationship is egregious, this decision also sets a precedent that significantly disrupts ALL pharmaceutical research, threatening the autonomy of the FDA’s authority over ALL medication approvals, including vaccines. Given New Jersey’s standing as the nation’s “medicine cabinet” this is especially concerning.

Let’s be clear, accessing abortion in this country–and in New Jersey–is much harder than it should be. The threat of this lawsuit will overwhelm an already overburdened and underfunded abortion care system. As a consequence of the Texas ruling, providers are already working to significantly adjust protocols, and their patients will have to find additional resources to overcome barriers to care. Any attempt to ban or further restrict access to abortion will fall hardest on communities most harmed by systemic barriers to health care – that includes people of color, immigrants, people with low-incomes, youth, and people living in rural areas.

Every New Jerseyan deserves to live a life where they can make their own reproductive health care decisions and access the care they need without fear, shame, or institutional obstacles. We call on our elected officials to push for bold solutions that address the realities of providing and receiving abortion care, including coverage for abortion without cost-sharing for every New Jerseyan, and ensuring the financial sustainability of abortion providers through the state budget process. We will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure abortion care is accessible to all who need it.