Oregon lawmakers and advocates for abortion pill access speak out amid Supreme Court case

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Abortion access returns to the high court for the first time since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. This time, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments over the abortion pill.

As justices weigh whether to reverse the Food and Drug Administration’s expanded access to the drug, local lawmakers are responding and expounding on what the results may mean for patients.

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In Oregon and Washington state, access to mifepristone remains intact — for now — as both governors secured a three-year supply last year. But what happens when that runs out?

On Tuesday, lawmakers and advocates were clear: while the case could impact access to the drug, medical abortion is and will be available in the future — despite any ruling.

Nearly two years after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the future of abortion access is once again before the U.S. Supreme Court.

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“This is a deliberate attack on the autonomy of patients to make their own decisions with their healthcare providers and with their families,” said U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.). “At the core of the case is the abortion and miscarriage management pill mifepristone — often taken with another drug to end early pregnancy.”

Bonamici was joined by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who hosted the first congressional hearing on the safety of mifepristone in 1990. He echoed Bonamici’s call to not go backward.

“We are never going to let politics take precedence over good science,” Wyden said.

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While the drug was approved by the FDA more than 20 years ago, on Tuesday, the high court heard arguments on whether the agency acted lawfully when it took steps in 2016 and 2021 to increase access, like allowing mail delivery and expanding the timeframe in which the drug can be taken during pregnancy.

“We must codify Roe vs. Wade and beyond that, get rid of the Hyde Amendment and the Comstock Laws as was mentioned, to open up equitable access to abortion care — because abortion care is health care,” Bonamici said.

The anti-abortion advocates who filed the case argue the FDA overlooked safety problems when it made mifepristone easier to get. However, local lawmakers, abortion providers, and advocates for reproductive healthcare argued the case is politically motivated and could restrict access to safe and essential healthcare even in states like Oregon with some of the strongest protections.

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“Today, we heard oral arguments in a case before the Supreme Court that was designed specifically to target access to a safe, effective method of medication abortion that is used in more than half of the abortions in the United States,” said Samantha Gladu, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon.

This is far from over, but the Supreme Court could make a decision as early as June.

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