Governors Form Abortion-Protecting Coalition..On Tuesday, February 21, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) announced he and 19 other Democratic state leaders are launching the Reproductive Freedom Alliance. While they describe the group as a “non-partisan coalition,” all current members are Democrats, including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

 

Governors Form Abortion-Protecting Coalition

(ConservativeInsider.org) – In June 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, pushing the decision on whether an abortion is legal or not back to the state level. This triggered a myriad of existing laws to ban most abortions in some states and led many other conservative states to introduce legislation making it illegal to perform or assist with the procedure. Now, over a dozen Democratic governors have banded together to form a coalition to exchange ideas, rhetoric, and information about how to keep abortion legal for Americans.

California Governor Leads Reproductive Freedom Alliance

On Tuesday, February 21, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) announced he and 19 other Democratic state leaders are launching the Reproductive Freedom Alliance. While they describe the group as a “non-partisan coalition,” all current members are Democrats, including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

The Alliance’s mission is to preserve reproductive freedom in the United States. Both the Rosenberg Foundation and the California Wellness Foundation are providing funding for the project. In a group statement, the Governors promised: “to work together to strengthen abortion firewalls across America.” Governor Newsom called the new alliance “a moral obligation” as he encourages his peers to open up abortion access wherever possible.

Abortion Bans and Pills in the United States

Since the June 2022 ruling, the number of states outlawing abortion in some or all forms has risen. According to an ongoing tally compiled by the Guttmacher Institute, 44 states outlaw abortions to some degree, with a dozen of those banning it altogether. Bans on all abortions include medication abortions, where a woman takes the drug mifepristone to abort her child.

One Lawsuit Could Stop Access to Medical Abortions in All 50 States

The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine has filed a lawsuit in Texas to reverse the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the medical abortion drug. As mifepristone accounted for over half of the abortions that took place in the US in 2020, the decision, in this case, could have far-reaching implications.

According to FiveThirtyEight, Erik Baptist is the senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, representing some of the groups challenging the FDA’s accelerated approval of the drug back in 2000, in spite of sound scientific practice. The federal agency fully recognizes “the dangers [mifepristone] poses to women and girls who take it.”

So, many people are waiting with bated breath to see which way Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk will rule on this case. He worked for a Christian conservative group before being appointed to the bench by former President Donald Trump in 2019.