Washington State Should Not Sell Its Stockpiled Abortion Pills at Below-Cost Prices
Source: Kristan Hawkins. "Washington State Giving Away $2M In Abortion Pills." March 12, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
Washington state bought millions of dollars worth of abortion pills that are now expiring, and instead of letting them go to waste, they want to sell them cheap to anyone who wants them. The author argues this is dangerous because the pills harm women and the environment, and the state shouldn't be in the business of dealing drugs.
Conclusion
Washington state should reverse course on legislation allowing the Department of Corrections to sell its stockpiled abortion pills at below-cost prices, and the Trump administration should intervene to prevent this state-sanctioned distribution of dangerous drugs
Premises
- The original $2 million purchase of 155,000+ abortion pill doses by former Governor Inslee was a wasteful use of taxpayer funds based on unfounded fears about drug availability
- Chemical abortion pills have serious health risks for women, with complication rates four times higher than surgical abortion and significant rates of hemorrhage and infection
- The drugs pose environmental threats, with over 50 tons of chemically tainted waste being flushed into waterways annually without adequate study of consequences
- Selling the pills at below-cost prices would make the state function like a drug dealer, flooding the market with dangerous substances
- The state has already wasted $1.275 million on 30,000 expired doses that had to be incinerated, demonstrating poor planning and fiscal responsibility
Assumptions
- Abortion pills are inherently harmful and should be restricted rather than made more accessible
- State governments should not facilitate access to drugs the author considers dangerous
- The Trump administration has both the authority and obligation to intervene in state pharmaceutical policies
- Taxpayer funds should not be used to subsidize abortion access
- The Comstock Act can and should be enforced to restrict abortion pill distribution