Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a statement early Friday in response to federal litigation over the legality of one of two drugs used in combination to end a pregnancy with medication.
The case surrounds mifepristone, which was initially approved by the Food & Drug Administration in 2000.
After a court in Texas ordered sales of mifepristone to stop while its initial FDA approval was reconsidered, an appeals court in New Orleans partially overturned the ruling, meaning that sales could resume.
The continuation of sales comes with a significant caveat, as the drug must be administered in accordance to its 2000 approval, instead of adhering to more permissive regulations that were adopted in 2016.
This means that the drug must be taken in the presence of a physician, ruling out the medication being mailed to any patients.
Illinois is among 17 states that won't be affected by the change, due to access to mifepristone being protected in accordance to a separate but closely related case last week, which ruled that access to mifepristone would not be changed there.
In anticipation of even more travel to Illinois for abortion access, Gov. Pritzker issued the following statement:
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“Federal litigation arising from Texas has created confusion about a safe and effective medication that has expanded the reproductive autonomy of millions of women across the country. Given this complicated legal landscape, my administration is communicating with providers to help them overcome potential supply chain issues they may face in the weeks and months ahead. We have offered providers Medicaid advances for both mifepristone and misoprostol to ensure they have abortion medication available and can offer this gold standard healthcare as long as possible," Pritzker's statement read in part.
"Mifepristone has been approved by the FDA for over two decades and has been shown repeatedly to be part of a safe and effective drug regimen that reduces the risk of serious side effects for women. It’s deeply disturbing that courts are now second guessing and counteracting years of scientific data and facts. Misoprostol, another critical drug, is unaffected by these rulings. As long as I am Governor, Illinois will do everything possible to keep abortion safe and legal," the statement continued.
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Thus far, in anticipation of further rulings, California, New York and Massachusetts have begun stockpiling the medication, with New Jersey officials saying the move was being considered.
Pritzker offered further commentary on the pivotal issue early Friday, rebuking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for signing a six-week abortion ban into law during the overnight hours.
While the Florida measure has been signed into law, the bill cannot take effect unless a court upholds the state's current 15-week abortion ban.
