Healey reiterates mifepristone support in wake of Supreme Court arguments

As the Supreme Court heard arguments about access to mifepristone, the medication used in more than half of all abortions in the U.S. last year, Mass. Gov. Maura Healey doubled down on her support for the drug and abortion rights. 

“Access to mifepristone is critical,” Healey said during an appearance on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” program Tuesday. “We have mifepristone on supply, it will continue to be available in the state.”

Healey referenced her decision to join other Democratically-led states in stockpiling mifepristone after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and promised to continue maintaining this supply. 

Mifepristone was first approved by the FDA in 2000, and has consistently been found to be a safe and effective way of terminating a pregnancy. Currently, some patients can receive the drug through the mail, and it is used to induce an abortion through 10 weeks of pregnancy. Of all U.S. abortions in 2023, 63% were medication abortions. This is an increase from 53% in 2020, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

There were 21,430 abortions performed in Massachusetts in 2023, up 26% from 2020. An estimated 400 more people traveled to Massachusetts for abortions in 2023 compared to 2020.

“What we are seeing is a continued attack by state legislatures and by the Supreme Court on reproductive freedom, and this is terrible. It’s terrible for women, it’s worse for women who are poor, low income, and women of color,” Healey said on GBH. “The threat right now to reproductive freedom is very real, and we see that on display right now in hearings before the Supreme Court.”

Abortion opponents are challenging the FDA’s approval of mifepristone and other actions taken by officials to expand access to it. Most justices on the Supreme Court were skeptical of the opponents’ arguments Tuesday, but a final ruling is not expected until late June or early July. 

Healey has been in lockstep with other notable Massachusetts politicians, such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley in their support for reproductive rights and access to mifepristone. Both issued statements reaffirming those opinions this week while attacking Donald Trump and Republicans for the rollback of rights afforded to women for decades. 

The governor also used the Supreme Court case as an opportunity to speak about Massachusetts’ role as a global leader in life sciences. A ruling limiting mifepristone access could have further ramifications for the industry, she said. 

“Decisions by the Supreme Court on the prerogative of the FDA, for example, also potentially undermine our ability to be the leader that we are in Massachusetts when it comes to life sciences,” Healey said on GBH. 

Healey was asked if she agrees with the idea that the Supreme Court is “in the tank” for Trump. 

“I do,” she said, but added that she hopes that the justices “do their job and fulfill their constitutional obligation and be true to the oath that they swore to uphold.”