I held the first Congressional hearing on protecting access to mifepristone
When the far-right overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, I – and many others – warned that Republicans wouldn't stop at overturning Roe. I've long been afraid that they will go after every facet of reproductive freedom.
Unfortunately, they're continuing to prove me right. In 2023, they've done everything they can to attack another pillar of reproductive care: access to the abortion medication mifepristone.
This spring, right-wing activists hand-picked an extremist judge in Texas to rule in their favor and further restrict access to the most commonly-used abortion medication in the country – even in states where abortion remains legal. Fortunately, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked the lower court's radical and illegitimate decision. This means that for the time being, mifepristone remains on the market for millions of Americans.
Now, as we wait for the Supreme Court to decide whether or not it will take up the mifepristone case, anti-choice Republicans are desperate and trying yet again to rig the game and rip away Americans' constitutional rights to privacy and reproductive freedom.
Earlier this month, three GOP state attorneys general (of Missouri, Kansas, and Idaho) filed a motion to join the suit of the plaintiffs who kicked off this period of legal chaos. They're trying to advance a radical argument that states have standing to sue the FDA for allowing mifepristone to be bought and sold. In effect: they want to see the harsh anti-choice policies of their states take effect in other states.
I'll be clear: I'm not about to let right-wing extremists impose their policies — policies that keep losing at the ballot box across the country — on Oregonians or the rest of the country.
As we just saw days ago, voters across the country continue to send the strong message that they want to protect their reproductive freedom, not have it clawed back by far-right extremists.
I held the first Congressional hearing on protecting access to mifepristone back in 1990. Over 30 years later, I'm still fighting with everything I've got to protect access to reproductive care.
Even before the initial Texas decision on mifepristone came down, I took to the Senate floor and called on the Biden administration to guarantee access to mifepristone by ignoring illegitimate rulings and keeping mifepristone on the market.
The days and weeks ahead demand vigilance. We must continue to ensure that folks have the correct information about mifepristone, and we have to keep shining a light on the despicable attempts by the GOP to impose their will on the reproductive healthcare decisions of millions of Americans.
Thank you,
Ron
