New Jersey will stockpile abortion pills, governor says before Trump inauguration

New Jersey will begin stockpiling supplies of a key abortion drug, Governor Phil Murphy announced, days before President-elect Donald Trump returns to office with Republican majorities in the House and Senate.

“A couple of years ago, New Jersey worked proactively to protect abortion rights,” Murphy said during his State of the State address on Tuesday, in reference to a law he signed months before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. “And now we must further secure our reputation as a safe haven for reproductive freedom.”

In addition to urging the Democratic-held state legislature to pass a law to “scrap out-of-pocket costs for abortion procedures,” Murphy announced that New Jersey will stockpile abortion medication mifepristone “so every woman can access this crucial form of reproductive care.” The decision, he said, was prompted by “anti-choice policies supported by the current majorities in Congress.”

In November, reproductive-health organizations and companies reported that more women were seeking abortion pills in the aftermath of Trump’s election victory, while antiabortion advocates began planning aggressive legal action against people and organizations that help women get abortions, as The Washington Post reported. As states moved to restrict people’s access to abortion and abortion pills in the wake of Roe’s fall, New Jersey’s abortion protections have ensured that both remain legal there.

In 2023, Democratic governors in other states—including California and Massachusetts—also announced plans to stockpile abortion pills. Eighteen US states now have bans on all or most abortions, three have bans on abortions after 12 or 15 weeks, while courts in two others have blocked similar laws—although thousands of women in states with restrictions are turning to online providers to access abortion pills.

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Source: Washington Post, 16 January 2025