Oregon secures three-year supply of mifepristone, pending court action

Oregon has secured a three-year supply of mifepristone, the abortion medication at the center of a high-profile fight before the U.S. Supreme Court, Gov. Tina Kotek announced Thursday.

The upshot, Kotek says: Regardless of whatever decision the court comes to regarding whether the drug should be more tightly regulated — or available at all — patients in Oregon will have access for years to come.

“I will make sure that patients are able to access the medication they need and providers are able to provide that medication without unnecessary, politically-motivated interference and intimidation,” Kotek said in a statement. “To our providers, to the patients who live in Oregon or have been forced to come to our state for care, and to those who are helping people access the care they need, know that I have your back.”

According to a release from Kotek’s office, the state is partnering with Oregon Health and Science University to secure 22,500 doses of mifepristone. The governor is also instructing state boards that license medical providers to clarify that the state “supports providers in continuing to provide reproductive health care, consistent with the established standards of care, including prescribing, dispensing and using mifepristone regardless of the upcoming Supreme Court decision in the Texas lawsuit,” the release said.