BREAKINGBREAKING,
Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk has placed a temporary stay on the FDA approval for mifepristone, used in medical abortions.
A federal judge in Texas has temporarily withdrawn approval for the use of mifepristone, one of two pills used for medical abortions, in a ruling set to have widespread impacts on reproductive healthcare across the United States.
In a victory for anti-abortion advocates, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk issued a 67-page ruling placing a stay on the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the mifepristone, which would render sales of the widely used drug illegal.
The decision gives the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden seven days to appeal before the temporary ban goes into effect.
The withdrawal of FDA approval comes at the request of the plaintiffs, a coalition of anti-abortion medical providers called the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. They filed a preliminary injunction to remove mifepristone from the market, as they pursue a lawsuit that alleges the FDA was wrong to approve the drug over two decades ago.
The case is being heard before a federal court in Amarillo, Texas. The injunction would last for the duration of the case or until a successful appeal.
Kacsmaryk, an appointee of former Republican President Donald Trump, has yet to rule on the plaintiffs’ overall lawsuit. It alleges that the FDA failed “to abide by its legal obligations to protect the health, safety and welfare of women and girls” when it approved mifepristone and calls for its removal from the market.
Mifepristone has been available in the US since 2000 and is approved for use in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, in combination with a second pill, misoprostol.
The Guttmacher Institute estimates that, in 2020, more than half of all abortions in the US were completed using a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol, an increase from 39 percent in 2017. It is widely considered safe to use.
Abortions are possible with misoprostol alone, but they are considered not as effective.
This is a developping story. More details to follow.
