NY Passes Law Requiring Public Universities to Provide the Abortion Pill to Students
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation yesterday that requires public universities and colleges to provide students access to the abortion pill.
This law was passed amid heightened controversy over the methods used by the FDA to approve the “abortion pill” mifepristone, for distribution to the public. After U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk suspended the drug’s approval, the Supreme Court of the United States weighed in and promptly punted the issue back to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has scheduled oral arguments for May 17th. As of now, only states that allow abortion after 10 weeks have approval to distribute the drug. Governor Hochul said the district judge’s order was “an attack on abortion, and ultimately an attack on democracy.”
“[U.S. District] Judge Kacsmaryk suspended the FDA’s approval of mifepristone by claiming that the FDA’s approval of the drug was ‘arbitrary and capricious.’ FDA regulations require that medications and drugs, like mifepristone, must be ‘studied for . . . safety and effectiveness in treating serious or life-threatening illnesses.’ They must also ‘provide [a] meaningful therapeutic benefit to patients over existing treatments.’ Judge Kacsmaryk wrote, ‘Pregnancy is not an illness.'”
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Mifepristone is the first pill taken in the two-step regime, and it works by stopping the pre-born baby from growing by starving the baby of nutrients. This form of abortion, a “chemical abortion,” accounts for more than half of all abortions within the United States. Recently, some states have approved the sale of these abortion drugs via online order and mail delivery, a move that has been called reckless as it endangers not just the pre-born child, but also the life of the mother.
When the FDA initially approved chemical abortion pills, it required that doctors who prescribe the drugs would need to be equipped with surgical equipment and training because in “about one of 100 women, bleeding [after taking mifepristone] can be so heavy that a surgical procedure will be required to stop it.” Tele-appointments leave the mother responsible for estimating the gestational age of her growing baby. This means that not only is the risk higher for her, it is also likely that she will take the pills after the recommended 10-week mark, causing harm, but not death to the pre-born baby, often requiring further medical treatment.
During a press conference celebrating the new law, Governor Hochul lamented that the Supreme Court “trampled on” women’s rights after ruling that the people’s state representatives could decide what limits to place on abortion in each state. She also called the SCOTUS decision that upheld a Mississippi abortion law and subsequently overturned Roe v Wade, a “shameful regression of women’s rights.”
The governor also stated during the press conference, “We are sick and tired of judges and lawmakers telling us what to do with our bodies — and if there’s one thing that New Yorkers will not do, ever, is stand by when we see wrong being done.” She also confirmed that New York will remain a “sanctuary” for abortion and that the procedure would remain “safe, legal, and accessible” — as opposed to the old mantra, “safe, legal, and rare.”
