Gov. Phil Murphy vows to stockpile abortion pills while claiming cooperation with Trump admin where our priorities align

TRENTON, N.J.(AP) — New Jersey is going to build up a supply of medication used in abortions, Democratic Gov.

Phil Murphy announced Tuesday during his State of the State address as he both pledged to work with President-elect Donald Trump and warned that the state is ready to push back against the incoming administration.Murphy is one of a handful of Democratic governors who criticized Trump on the campaign trail yet now say they’re open to cooperation.But Murphy said he will not back down in the face of “anti-choice” policies supported by the Republican majorities in Congress.

He said the state will stockpile mifepristone “so every woman can access this crucial form of reproductive care.”“I will never back away from partnering with the Trump Administration where our priorities align,” Murphy said during his address before a joint meeting of the Democrat-led Legislature.“But just as importantly, I will never back down from defending our New Jersey values — if and when they are tested.”New Jersey joins other Democrat-led states, including Massachusetts and California in stockpiling mifepristone, one of two drugs used in combination used to end pregnancies.During an interview with NBC News last month, Trump said he doesn’t plan to restrict medication abortion but he also seemed to leave the door open, saying “things change.” Abortion rights groups are particularly concerned that Trump’s choice for attorney general, Pam Bondi, may revive the Comstock Act, an anti-vice law passed by Congress in 1873 that, among other things, bans the mailing of medication or instruments used in abortion.Tuesday’s speech was Murphy’s second-to-last, and he emphasized his reluctance to become a lame-duck governor in the final stretch of his second term.

Among the other proposals he unveiled, Murphy said he would direct schools to ban cellphones in grades K-12.“Our children are inundated with screens,” he said.“And they are making it incredibly d...