Federal judge blocks abortion pill approval
Nathaniel Weixel, Zach Schonfeld
In an unprecedented decision, a federal judge in Texas has issued a stay that will shut down the prescribing and distribution of mifepristone in seven days, one of two drugs used for medication abortions that has been on the market in the U.S. for more than two decades.
District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, an appointee of former President Trump, gave the government a weeklong window to appeal and seek emergency relief before his ruling goes into effect.
The FDA appealed the decision to the conservative 5th Circuit Court of Appeals later on Friday.
Separately on Friday, U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice, an appointee of former President Obama who sits in the Eastern District of Washington, blocked the FDA from “altering the status quo and rights as it relates to the availability of Mifepristone” in 17 states and Washington, D.C. that filed a lawsuit saying the drug was too tightly regulated.
The dueling rulings could have far-reaching implications for access to abortion nationwide, as well as the authority of the entire Food and Drug Administration. The dispute could eventually reach the Supreme Court.
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https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3873279-federal-judge-shuts-down-abortion-pill-approval/