Gov. Gavin Newsom says California will stockpile an emergency supply of 2 million abortion pills known as misoprostol. This move is in response to a Texas ruling against the authorization of another medication that is used to end pregnancies.
NBC 7 learned that by Tuesday the state has already received more than 250,000 misoprostol pills, a widely used abortion medication.
The drug stockpile was purchased through CalRx, which is a state-run distributor for discounted prescription drugs.
It will be available to California pharmacies through the abortion.ca.gov website.
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In a statement to NBC 7 on Tuesday, a spokesperson from the County’s Health and Human Services Agency said they had not received any medication in their storehouse and “no requests or inquiries from San Diego County providers.” The spokesman also stated the governor’s office has not said whether or not each county would be given a supply.
The Los Angeles CEO of Planned Parenthood, Sue Dunlap said on Monday she’s not sure what happens next, but their mission to provide access to safe abortions remains. "We're here today because there are people all across this country who are working to ban abortion, not just state by state but across this country."
Meanwhile, the President of California Family Council, Jonathan Keller said in a statement: “It is appalling that Gavin Newsom is so obsessed with ending the lives of children in the womb that he is attempting to stockpile dangerous and potentially illegal drugs.”
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California is one of 21 states that recently formed the so-called Reproductive Freedom Alliance to protect reproductive health care. Last year, California passed more than a dozen new laws to protect and increase access to abortion and provide more funding for services.
Gov. Newsom’s attempt to circumvent the Texas judge’s ruling could hit a roadblock in the future. Legal analyst Dan Eaton said if upheld, the ruling could have far reaching implications beyond just one abortion pill.
"The logic of the ruling could extend to other drugs, including the drug that Governor Newsom is now stockpiling," Eaton said.
California is not the only one doing this. Other states like Massachusetts and New York have also ordered extra doses of this same abortion pill.
NBC 7 reached out to San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria for a comment on the extra orders of misoprostol, after Los Angeles’ Mayor held a press conference to discuss the issue. Our request for comment was not returned. Gov. Gavin Newsom also did not return our request for further information on the distribution of misoprostol.
