New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said Tuesday that the state will stockpile abortion drugs in preparation for President-elect Trump’s return to the White House next week, with the Republican Party in control of both chambers of Congress.
The governor made comments about protecting abortion drugs like mifepristone during his State of the State address, when he pledged to work with Trump on issues where they have similar priorities, but also emphasized the state’s willingness to push back against the new government in areas they are against.
Murphy is one of a handful of Democratic governors who say they are open to working with the Trump administration. But Murphy stressed he will not shy away from challenging the “anti-choice” policies supported by the Republican-led House and Senate in Washington, saying the state will stockpile mifepristone “so every woman has access to this crucial form of reproductive care’.
“I will never shy away from working with the Trump administration where our priorities are aligned,” Murphy said. “But just as importantly, I will never shy away from defending our values in New Jersey – if and when they are tested.”
MONTANA AG ASKS SUPREME COURT TO ENFORCE LAW REQUIRING PARENTAL CONSENT FOR ABORTION OF AN MINOR
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address during a joint session of the Legislature at the State House in Trenton, NJ, January 9, 2024. (AP)
New Jersey is the latest Democratic-led state to announce plans to stock up on mifepristone, one of two drugs used in combination to end pregnancies.
Trump, who is inaugurated on January 20, said last month he has no plans to limit restrictions abortion medicationsbut he also admitted that “things change.”
Pro-choice groups have raised concerns that Pam Bondi, Trump’s nominee for attorney general, will bring back the Comstock Act, a law passed by Congress in 1873 that would restrict the shipment of pharmaceuticals or instruments used in abortion.
Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey speaks during a press conference in Newark in August. (AP/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that access to mifepristone should be preserved. The case sought to limit access to the drug, including in states where abortion is legal.
With few exceptions, abortion is banned at all stages of pregnancy in fourteen states, and after about six weeks of pregnancy in three others.
In Murphy’s State of the State address on Tuesday, which was his penultimate, he emphasized his reluctance to become a lame-duck governor before his second term ends, and unveiled several proposals for the year. The term-limited governor will leave office a year from now in November gubernatorial elections. New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states that regularly host gubernatorial races this year.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy speaks with members of the media after meeting with President Biden during the National Governors Association Winter Meeting at the White House on Friday, February 10, 2023. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“On this final chapter of our journey, our absolute top priority – as it has been since day one – is delivering economic security and opportunity to every New Jerseyan,” Murphy said.
Other proposals Murphy announced include directing schools to ban cell phones in grades K-12.
“Our children are inundated with screens,” he said. “And they make it incredibly difficult for our children not only to learn, but to retain the content of what they learn.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
