2020 Dem candidates endorse making abortion pills available over the counter

All of the candidates currently competing for next year’s Democrat presidential nomination have staked out uncompromisingly pro-abortion platforms, and several have gone so far as to support making abortion pills available without a prescription, according to a survey released Monday by The New York Times.

The survey sent a list of questions to every participant in the 2020 Democrat primary (though it predates the entry of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick). All responded except for Sen. Kamala Harris, Reps. Tulsi Gabbard and John Delaney, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (whose positions were compiled from previous public statements).

Most of the answers predictably affirmed that the candidates enthusiastically support protecting and expanding abortion-on-demand, though of particular interest were their answers to “Make misoprostol and mifepristone available over the counter?” Mifepristone (better known as RU-486) is the first half of a chemical or “medication” abortion, which is generally taken at an abortionist’s office, followed by taking a second pill, misoprostol, to expel an aborted baby at home.

The candidates who answered “yes” were Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, billionaire Tom Steyer, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, author Marianne Williamson, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak said they were “unsure,” and former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders declined to answer. Harris, Gabbard, Bullock, Castro, and Delaney’s positions are listed as “unclear.”

In lieu of a direct answer, Sanders sent a statement indicating he is “open to discussing ways to lower barriers of access for women to receive comprehensive reproductive care.”