Adams to fight court ruling potentially banning medication abortion drug

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Friday vowed to help fight a federal court ruling that made it harder for women nationwide to access an abortion and ensure women can continue to make their own reproductive decisions.

Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas — a Donald Trump appointee — on Friday issued a ruling in the case Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, effectively making the prescription of the medication abortion drug mifepristone illegal nationwide in one week, including here in New York City, barring emergency relief being ordered by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

“Nearly 10 months ago, a Supreme Court packed with Trump appointees issued a ruling taking us 50 years back in time as they sought to shackle women and others in reproductive bondage. Make no mistake, today’s ruling by another Trump appointee could make it even harder for people to access an abortion, even here in New York City, and is a clear act of war on women,” said Mayor Adams.

“In New York City, more than 2,000 women had medication abortions at NYC Health + Hospitals facilities last year, and we recently expanded abortion access, making medication abortion available for free at our city-run health clinics — becoming the first health department in the nation to do so — but banning one of the medications for the simplest, quickest, and most commons ways for women to access abortions nationwide is a cruel and inhumane decision by a court set on trampling the law, not upholding it,” he added.

“While women here in New York still have other options for abortion, even if this Texas decision is allowed to stand, they and women from across the country should know that our administration will fight every day to stop efforts to control women’s bodies, their choices, and their freedoms,” Adams added.

“In the nearly 10 months following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe, millions of women have seen their right to a safe, legal abortion restricted and, in some cases, completely taken away,” said First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. “We knew then that the forces pushing to control women’s bodies wouldn’t stop there, and today’s decision by a Texas court is yet another assault on women’s rights, potentially cutting off access to health care for millions more. Today, we recommit ourselves to staying vigilant, focused, and continue pressing forward in the fight for reproductive rights.

“This is a generational rollback in access to health care, said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “New York City is and will remain a hub for reproductive health care that everyone needs and deserves. Our Department of Health and public hospital system will extend every measure to ensure that everyone has the support and access they need to inform their reproductive health care.”

“This Texas court ruling is a major setback for millions of women across the country, including those here in New York, who seek safe and accessible reproductive care,” said New York City Corporation Counsel Barbadian-born Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix. “We disagree with the judge’s ruling, which threatens to set aside the FDA’s sound, science-based determination and make a safe medication unavailable nationwide. The City of New York will support the federal government’s legal effort to reverse this harmful decision and restore the FDA with the authority it should have under the law.”

Adams said that, for more than 20 years, mifepristone, used in combination with the drug misoprostol, has been a safe option for those managing an abortion or miscarriage in the United States, and has now become the most common method to terminate a pregnancy in the country.

In New York City, he said NYC Health + Hospitals helped support more than 2,000 medication abortions at little or no cost at the city’s 11 public hospitals last year alone.

Should the law change after the seven-day pause, Adams said both the city’s hospital system and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will continue to make medication abortion accessible to all within the five boroughs by shifting to a misoprostol-only treatment regimen to comply with the law.

Currently, at least 29 percent of all women of reproductive age in the US are already living in states where surgical abortions are virtually unavailable, but banning mifepristone would effectively reduce medication abortion options for approximately 40 million women nationwide.

Those looking for more information on abortion providers, payment support, and additional resources available in New York City can visit the city’s abortion access webpage.