Harrisburg, PA – Today, Governor Josh Shapiro launched a new website for reproductive health care resources to provide facts and information in the wake of the Texas decision seeking to restrict access to medication abortions nationwide. Governor Shapiro is reminding Pennsylvanians that the ruling does not affect the ability of residents or non-residents to access abortion services in the Commonwealth.
“Your rights and freedoms here in Pennsylvania have not changed — you can get a safe, legal medication abortion using mifepristone in our Commonwealth,” said Governor Shapiro. “As your Governor, I believe decisions on reproductive care are to be made between women and their doctors, not extremist politicians or radical court rulings. Let’s be clear: this Texas judge’s attempt to restrict access to medication abortions is just another attack on a woman’s right to choose. This is about protecting our freedoms, and I won’t back down from that fight.
“This new website will help those seeking critical reproductive healthcare services, no matter what part of the Commonwealth they live in or whether they are traveling from a state that has restricted abortion access. My Administration is exploring every possible action we can take to keep medication abortion accessible, expand access to reproductive care, and continue safeguarding the freedom to choose — including defending abortion access as a party to Friday’s federal court ruling in Washington state under the leadership of Attorney General Michelle Henry.”
On the new site, the public can find further information about medication abortions as well as in-clinic procedure abortions. Users can also take advantage of an interactive map and the “Find A Provider” tool to locate a local provider, seek assistance on their journey with help from the “Make A Plan” section, and get connected with financial support under “How to Pay.”
The website launches just days after a judge in the Northern District of Texas reversed the Federal Drug Administration’s (FDA) decades-long approval of an abortion pill regimen consisting of mifepristone followed by misoprostol, which has been used for more than 20 years and today is used for more than 50% of abortions. Medication abortions often use this two-step process, and the medications can be obtained at abortion clinics, pharmacies, or by mail. The Texas judge in Friday’s ruling stayed his decision for seven days to give the federal government time to appeal.
In a dueling opinion late Friday, a federal judge in Washington state also ruled in a different case – which Pennsylvania is a party to – that mifepristone is safe and effective, and ordered the FDA to preserve “the status quo” and retain access to the drug in the 17 states and Washington D.C. that are behind the second lawsuit.
In February, Governor Shapiro joined a Reproductive Freedom Alliance with 20 other governors to safeguard abortion access, protect abortion providers, and affirm abortion rights. The Governor maintained former-Governor Tom Wolf’s executive order ensuring that non-Pennsylvania residents seeking abortion care in Pennsylvania can do so without fear of being arrested or detained at the request of another state.
Governor Shapiro has been steadfast in his commitment to ensuring a woman’s right to choose, and this comprehensive website is the latest effort in making certain that freedom is protected.
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