CA Legislative Women’s Caucus Leaders Denounce Texas Judge’s Ruling Suspending Medically Safe Reproductive Treatment

SACRAMENTO – California Legislative Women’s Caucus Chair Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) and Vice Chair Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) released the following statement today, denouncing a federal judge’s ruling in Texas that blocks the FDA-approved, medically safe reproductive care medication, mifepristone:

“When will the assault on women’s health and dignity stop? That one anti-abortion judge has the power to block access to a safe and medically proven treatment is an outrage. This decision does not just affect Texans. By reversing federal approval of an essential medicine, this decision imposes a doctrinaire, personally held belief on each and every American, a majority of whom stand firm in their own beliefs that women deserve the right to control their own bodies and health care. 

“California will not back down. We remain steadfastly committed to safeguarding access to reproductive care and abortion services and to legally protect our health providers and those who seek services. For decades, Americans have had access to the FDA-approved, two-medication protocol of mifepristone and misoprostol for safe, early-term abortions, miscarriage care and other health needs. Although misoprostol remains a fully legal, viable, and safe medication for abortion, we wholeheartedly support the Biden Administration’s effort to overturn this abominable ruling and the Administration’s commitment to reinstate nationwide access to mifepristone and the highly effective, two-medication protocol.

“Anti-abortion zealots have been clear for years that overturning Roe v Wade was not enough; their goal was to ensure that no woman in the U.S. would have the ability to control her own body or seek the health care she needs. With Roe now gone, this newest deplorable court ruling proves that anti-abortion forces won’t stop until they’ve denied every woman in the U.S. the right to control their own body. Well, let us be clear: We will also never give up the fight to restore and fully respect a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions.”

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