Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey joined calls across the nation urging the Supreme Court to immediately reverse the decision to cut access to mailing the abortion medication mifepristone after an appeals court ruling over the weekend.

“This decision will hurt the health and wellbeing of women and should be immediately reversed,” Healey stated. “Here in Massachusetts, we’ll always protect women’s access to reproductive health care, including medication abortion, and we will keep standing up to efforts by President Trump and his allies to roll back reproductive rights.”

Two manufacturers of the abortion medication mifepristone asked the Supreme Court on Saturday to issue an emergency block an appeals court ruling ordering the cut off of mail-order access to the pill.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals released an unanimous ruling in State of Louisiana v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration Friday marking a victory for abortion opponents, requiring mifepristone to be distributed only in person and at clinics and overruling regulations set by the federal Food and Drug Administration allowing it to be prescribed online.

The ruling is in effect while the case works its way through the courts and applies to patients in all states, regardless of abortion restrictions in the state.

The manufacturer Danco Laboratories requested an emergency pause on the ruling from the Supreme Court, stating the appellate ruling “injects immediate confusion and upheaval into highly time-sensitive medical decisions,” which was followed by a similar request from fellow maker GenBioPro.

Healey called mifepristone “a safe, effective and essential medication” following the request Saturday.

“Massachusetts providers prescribe it via telehealth to tens of thousands of women in Massachusetts and across the country,” Healey stated.

The governor’s call was echoed by several in the Massachusetts delegation, including Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Lori Trahan.

“For years, MAGA extremists have been marching toward a nationwide abortion ban,” Trahan posted to X. “Now, they’re insisting that Trump’s judges know better than doctors and science. Mifepristone is a safe, effective medication used by millions since it was approved by the FDA 25 years ago.”

The ADF, representing abortion opponents in the mifepristone case in Louisiana, said Friday they “applaud the court’s decision to halt this scheme and uphold the protection and dignity of every woman and child while we appeal.”

“The Biden FDA’s unlawful authorization of mail-order abortion drugs was meant to nullify state laws that protect life,” said ADF Counsel Erin Hawley, who argued with the Louisiana AG in district court. “This was a reckless political action that destroys unborn life, puts women’s safety in serious jeopardy, and completely subverts state law.”

The anti-abortion organization Massachusetts Citizens for Life noted the state provided medication abortions to over 37,000 people in 2023 and 2024, according to Department of Public Health data, with most outside Massachusetts. The organization also cited “shield laws” in Massachusetts protecting abortion providers.

“Because Massachusetts prioritizes ‘access’ over women’s safety and well-being, already disregarding laws across the country, it is possible that our state’s providers will simply ignore the May 1 temporary court ruling, too,” Massachusetts Citizens for Life stated. “By extension, they will continue to ignore vulnerable women.”

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