Tester Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on Access to Mifepristone Medication

U.S. Senator Jon Tester issued the following statement after the Supreme Court declined to restrict Montana women’s access to the medication Mifepristone:

“No judge or politician should be in the business of making health care decisions for women. That’s why I called on the Supreme Court to reject efforts to restrict access to this legal medication, and I’ll continue to fight for women to have the freedom and privacy to make their own personal health care decisions.” 

Tester has led the fight to ensure that Montana women have access to safe and effective health care. Tester signed onto bicameral amicus briefs calling on the Supreme Court to reject a decision that would restrict access to Mifepristone.

Tester also joined a brief calling for the Court to affirm access to emergency stabilizing care for women in states with bans on reproductive care, which the Court is also expected to rule on in the coming weeks. Last year, Tester sent a letter to Walgreens and CVS’ executives pressing the companies to take immediate action to ensure that all women, including those in rural areas like Montana, have access to safe and effective health care. Tester’s letter came in response to Walgreens’ decision limiting the sale of mifepristone and misoprostol, even in states like Montana where the medications are legal. Tester’s pushback was successful – after sending his letter, CVS and Walgreens announced they planned to become certified and offer mifepristone and misoprostol in states like Montana where laws would allow pharmacies to dispense it.

Last week, Tester voted for legislation that would protect Montanans’ right to access and provide contraception. In February, Tester co-sponsored the Access to Family Building Act to safeguard Montana families’ access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technology.

Tester is a strong supporter of Women’s Health Protection Act, which would guarantee the right to privacy for women making personal healthcare decisions by codifying Roe v. Wade.