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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said Tuesday the state will stockpile abortion drugs in preparation for President-elect Trump’s return to the White House next week with the GOP in control of both houses of Congress.
The governor made comments about protecting abortion drugs like mifepristone during his State of the State address, when he promised to work with Trump on issues where they share priorities, but also stressed that the state is willing to push back the administration by going into the areas they oppose.
Murphy is one of a handful of Democratic governors who say they are open to cooperating with the Trump administration. But Murphy stressed that he will not back down from challenging the “anti-choice” policies backed by the Republican-led House and Senate in Washington and said the state will stock mifepristone “so that all women can access this crucial form of ‘reproductive care’.
“I will never back down from partnering with the Trump Administration where our priorities align,” Murphy said. “But most importantly, I will never back down from standing up for our New Jersey values, if and when they are tested.”
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New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the Statehouse in Trenton, NJ on January 9, 2024. (AP)
New Jersey is the latest Democratic-led state to announce plans to stock mifepristone, one of two drugs used in combination to end pregnancy.
Trump, who will be inaugurated on January 20, said last month that he does not plan to restrict it abortifacient drugsbut he also admitted that “things change”.
Pro-choice groups have expressed concern that Pam Bondi, whom Trump nominated as attorney general, could bring back the Comstock Act, a law passed by Congress in 1873 that prohibited the shipment of drugs or instruments used in the abortion
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New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy speaks during a news conference in Newark in August. (AP/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
In June, the US Supreme Court unanimously decided to preserve access to mifepristone. The case sought to restrict access to the drug, even 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 Tuesday’s State of the State address, which was his second-to-last, Murphy emphasized his reluctance to become a lame-duck governor before his second term ends, announcing several proposals for the year. The term-limited governor will leave office a year after November gubernatorial elections. New Jersey and Virginia are the only two regularly scheduled states with gubernatorial races this year.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy speaks to members of the media after meeting with President Biden during the National Governors Association Winter Meeting at the White House on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“During this latest chapter of our journey, our absolute priority, as it has been since day one, is to provide economic security and opportunity for all New Jerseyans,” Murphy said.
Other proposals Murphy announced include directing schools to ban cell phones in grades K-12.
“Our kids are inundated with screens,” she said. “And they’re making it incredibly difficult for our kids, not only to learn, but to retain the substance of what they learn.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
