SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom issued the following statement in response to today’s ruling by far-right federal judge, Matthew Kacsmaryk, to pull back the 20+ year Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Mifepristone – seeking to remove the drug from pharmacy shelves across the country and threatening to severely curb access to abortion care.

“Today’s ruling, by an extremist judge pursuing a radical political agenda, ignores facts, science, and the law – putting the health of millions of women and girls at risk,” said Governor Newsom. “Abortion is still legal and accessible here in California and we won’t stand by as fundamental freedoms are stripped away.”

WHY IT MATTERS: For decades, medication abortion has been a reliable, affordable, and accessible way for people to get abortion care. Mifepristone, which the FDA first approved in 2000, is taken in combination with Misoprostol to induce a safe abortion. Up until today, this two-drug regimen has been used in more than half of abortions nationwide and is widely considered the standard of care.

People in need of more information about abortion care in California can visit abortion.ca.gov.