Washington D.C. – In 2022, after Roe v Wade was overturned largely by Trump-appointed Supreme Court Justices who lied to Congress that they never would, the Biden administration issued guidance clarifying that anti-discrimination provisions in the Affordable Care Act effectively mandate that “retail pharmacies receiving any federal funding had to carry and dispense mifepristone, misoprostol, and methotrexate—drugs used in medication abortions and, in the case of methotrexate, the treatment of ectopic pregnancies and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.”
This week, the Trump-RFK Jr. HHS rescinded that Biden era rule, allowing pharmacists who take federal taxpayer money to deny these medications to patients in need for no reason at all – a total reversal from Kennedy’s repeated declarations as recently as 2023 that he supports access to mifepristone and misoprostol.
“Donald Trump is so determined to deny all women access to abortion medication that he’s willing to risk the lives and health of patients who need it to treat horrific conditions,” said Kayla Hancock, Director of Public Health Watch, a project of Protect Our Care. “The Trump-RFK Jr. HHS has a clear and cold message for any American woman suffering from a heartbreaking ectopic pregnancy or autoimmune disorder: if you can’t get the treatment you need from a pharmacist who takes your tax dollars, so be it. It’s the latest affront from the Trump administration against women’s health and bodily autonomy as a reward to right-wing, anti-science extremists who bankrolled their campaign and don’t mind gambling with women’s health. Secretary Kennedy continues to show what an abject phony he is, willing to pawn off his supposed values at the turn of a dime if it serves Donald Trump politically.”
BACKGROUND: Kennedy’s Shifting Views Against Women’s Health Freedoms
- Kennedy: “I don’t trust the government to make these decisions for Americans. I’m for choice and medical freedom.” “Mr. Kennedy says, ‘Abortion is a tragedy but I don’t trust the government to make these decisions for Americans. I’m for choice and medical freedom. We need to trust mothers to make the best decisions. We also need to give full support to mothers who want to bring babies to term.’” [Team Kennedy/MAHA, 8/15/23]
- November 2023: Kennedy supported the FDA’s approval of mifepristone. “Should the FDA approval of mifepristone be revoked? How, if at all, would you seek to restrict abortion pills flowing into states where abortion is illegal? No. Kennedy supports the FDA approval of abortion medication mifepristone, his campaign said in an email.” [Washington Post, 11/8/23]
- June 2023: Kennedy told New York magazine that he supports the availability of mifepristone and misoprostol. “But what about economic policy, what about affordable health care, what about steering the country through a post-Dobbs landscape when it comes to abortion? Kennedy is pro-choice and told me he supports the availability of mifepristone and misoprostol. ‘I don’t think there’s anybody in the country who has fought harder for bodily autonomy and medical freedom to be free from the government telling us what we can and cannot do with our bodies,’ he said.” [New York, 6/30/23]
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