New Jersey The state will stock up on abortion medications 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, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday.
The governor made comments about protecting abortion medications like mifepristone during his State of the State address, when he pledged to work with Trump on issues where they share priorities, but he also stressed that the state is prepared to respond to the incoming administration in areas where they oppose.
Murphy is one of the few Democratic governors who say they are open to cooperating with the Trump administration. But Murphy stressed that he would not back down from challenging the “anti-choice” policies supported by the Republican-led House and Senate in Washington, and said the state would stock mifepristone “so every woman can access this critical form of reproductive care.”
“I will never back away from partnering with the Trump administration where our priorities align,” Murphy said. “But just as importantly, I will never back down from standing up for our values in New Jersey — if they are tested.”
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the State House, in Trenton, New Jersey, on January 9, 2024. (AP)
New Jersey is the latest Democratic-led state to announce plans to stockpile mifepristone, one of two drugs used together to terminate pregnancies.
Trump, who will be inaugurated on January 20, said last month that he had no intention of imposing restrictions Abortion medicationsBut he also admitted that “things are changing.”
Pro-choice groups have expressed concern that Pam Bondi, Trump’s nominee for attorney general, might reinstate the Comstock Act, a law passed by Congress in 1873 that prohibits the mailing of drugs or instruments used in abortion.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy speaks during a news conference in Newark in August. (AFP/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
In June, the US Supreme Court ruled unanimously to maintain access to mifepristone. The case sought to restrict access to the drug, including in states where abortion is legal.
Abortion is prohibited, with some exceptions, at all stages of pregnancy in 14 states, and after about six weeks of pregnancy in three others.
In Murphy’s statewide address on Tuesday, which was his second to last, he emphasized his reluctance to become a lame-duck governor before his second term ends, and unveiled several proposals for this year. The term-limited governor will leave office within a year after November State governors elections. New Jersey and Virginia are the only states scheduled to regularly hold gubernatorial elections this year.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy speaks to the media after meeting with President Biden during the National Governors Association Winter Meeting at the White House on Friday, February 10, 2023. (Ting Xin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“During this final chapter of our journey, our absolute top priority — as it has been since day one — is providing economic security and opportunity for all New Jerseyans,” Murphy said.
Other proposals announced by Murphy include directing schools to ban cell phones in grades K-12.
“Our children are immersed in screens,” he said. “They make it very difficult for our children, not only to learn, but to retain the content of what they are learning.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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