Many political leaders across the United States paid attention, with much interest, to the oral arguments at the United States Supreme Court yesterday (March 26, 2024) as the Super Majority Conservative judicial body considered petitioners’ arguments to curtail the easy accessibility and delivery of the FDA approved abortion drug mifepristone.
A ruling favoring the petitioners would result in the curtailing of a woman’s right to exercise their reproductive freedom and health care choices.
It is also not just about medical abortions. It is also about treating miscarriages when they occur as well.
From oral arguments, it appears (but that does not mean a guarantee) that a majority of the court will NOT side with the petitioners when it releases its decision this summer. Stay Tuned.
Arizona Democrats were among the leaders paying attention to yesterday’s court proceedings.
Governor Katie Hobbs issued a statement that read:
“I will stand strong against out-of-state extremists attempting to strip Arizona women of our reproductive freedoms. Mifepristone is a safe, widely used option for reproductive healthcare, and restricting access could threaten the health of millions of Arizona women. Washington D.C. judges should not be dictating the kind of care that Arizonans are allowed to receive. I am proud to join the effort to protect access to Mifepristone and I hope the Supreme Court will do the right thing and end this attack on our basic rights.”
The Governor later posted on social media:
Attorney General Kris Mayes offered:
“Mifepristone has been used safely and effectively by millions of Americans for over twenty years,” said Attorney General Mayes. “Allowing the Fifth Circuit’s ruling to go into effect would harm countless Americans and cause widespread confusion nationwide. I urge the Supreme Court to reverse this ruling and protect access to medication abortion. I will never stop fighting to protect the fundamental right of Arizonans to access reproductive healthcare.”
The Attorney General later posted on social media:
Legislative District (LD) 18 State Senator Priya Sundareshan, a leader in the State Legislature on reproductive freedom and women’s health, issued a press release that stated:
“When our leaders on the national level fail us– like they are once again by putting another reproductive right up for debate – it is up to the people in state legislatures to pick up the pieces. The majority of abortions use mifepristone because it is safe and can help vulnerable people, like rural Arizonans, get the care they need. As the Supreme Court attempts to strip away even more rights from Arizonans, we need to pass the Arizonans for Abortion Access ballot initiative and reach a Democratic majority. Arizona is ready to protect mifepristone, expand access to contraceptives, and protect abortion rights–something Governor Hobbs can only do with a Democratic majority in the legislature.”
LD Nine State Senator Eva Burch, whose impassioned address on the Arizona Senate floor last week detailing the traumatic hoops she had to endure to obtain an abortion on a nonviable fetus earned her state and nationwide acclaim, also commented on the Supreme Court case, relaying:
“This case is particularly baffling to me. We have 26 years of safety data on mifepristone. There have been nearly 5,000,000 uses by patients and only 13 related deaths over 26 years. Hundreds of people die taking Tylenol every year. The safety profile of mifepristone is far more promising than that of multiple over-the-counter medications and commonly prescribed treatments such as antibiotics.”
“There simply isn’t any reliable data to support the claim that mifepristone is dangerous. Certainly, you can find individual case studies or individual doctors who can paint a false picture of concern, but that is anecdotal evidence. The worst kind of evidence there is. This is a transparent attempt to move the needle toward banning abortion. It’s a philosophical disagreement, not a safety concern.”
“We cannot set the precedent that highly funded extremist religious organizations can weaponize the courts. If we allow this bad behavior, it will absolutely run away with itself. Anyone can shop out a Trump-appointed conservative judge in a district where there are no other judges and start walking their social and political grievances up the ladder. I really hope we can all agree that this is not a standard Americans are willing to set.”
Arizona Senate Democrats also issued a joint social media post:
In a special election for a State House seat in Ruby Red Alabama, Democrat Marilyn Lands, openly running on her support for a woman’s right to choose and access to In Vitro Fertilization, captured a Republican-held seat by a 25-point margin.
If a Democratic candidate can turn a Republican seat blue in ruby-red Alabama, imagine what Democratic candidates across the ballot can do in Purple Arizona when it is time to vote in November 2024 when they ran on a platform that included protecting women’s reproductive freedom and health care.
The possibilities for finally taking the legislature become more numerous in that scenario.