From WNYC Studios, I'm Brian Lehrer.

This is my daily politics podcast.

It's Tuesday, April 11th.

By this Friday, the abortion pill Miffrapristone might become largely unavailable.

You know that if the federal court

ruling in Texas last Friday night stands. The consequences of that are so huge because medication

abortions are the majority of abortions in the United States today. Now, just since yesterday's

show, the Biden administration has appealed for at least a longer-term stay of

the Texas judge's ruling until the ultimate decision in the case, probably by the Supreme Court.

There's also the competing decision by a federal court in Washington state that protects

Mithiphristone access in 17 states, the Supreme Court will probably have to resolve the

conflicting decisions. Unusual for the Supreme Court, that decision could come in a matter of days

we are told because of the extreme implications of the Texas ruling. Also, since yesterday's show,

as we continue to follow these developments, some blue state

governors are taking emergency measures. As the Washington Post describes it, California Governor

Gavin Newsom announced yesterday that he has secured an emergency stockpile of up to two million

doses of mesoprostol, the pill that's typically used alongside

Mepipristone in a two-step regimen to perform medication abortions, mesoprostol can be used on

its own to terminate a pregnancy, but the Washington Post says studies show it is less effective

than the two-step regimen and usually causes more cramping and

bleeding. In Massachusetts, according to this article, Governor Morah Healy announced that she

is stockpiling Mifopristone itself with 15,000 doses enough to last a year in the state of

...