Federal Court Upholds Abortion Pill Restrictions In ‘Significant’ Pro-Life VictoryBY: EVITA DUFFY-ALFONSO
AUGUST 17, 2023
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court panel upheld key restrictions on deadly and dangerous abortion pills and ruled that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) failed to address major safety concerns when it loosened standards for the drugs’ use.
The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision affirms part of a ruling issued in April by Trump-appointed federal Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk. Kacsmaryk “stayed,” or suspended, the FDA’s 2000 expedited approval of the two-drug abortion pill regimen, mifepristone and misoprostol, and the FDA’s further loosening of restrictions in 2016, 2019, and 2021.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision reinstated the abortion pills’ 2000 FDA approval but also important limits that had been in place before 2016, like the rule dictating pills cannot be prescribed via telemedicine and dispensed to patients through the mail.
“In 2016, the FDA expanded when girls and women could take the pill, changed its dosing, reduced the required number of doctor visits to obtain the drug, allowed more people than licensed doctors to prescribe the pill, and eradicated reporting standards for non-fatal complications from the pills,” reported The Federalist’s Jordan Davidson.
According to the court, the FDA’s relaxing of restrictions on mifepristone “failed to address several important concerns about whether the drug would be safe for the women who use it,” “failed to consider the cumulative effect of removing several important safeguards at the same time,” and “failed to gather evidence that affirmatively showed that mifepristone could be used safely without being prescribed and dispensed in person.”
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Source:
https://thefederalist.com/2023/08/17/federal-court-upholds-abortion-pill-restrictions-in-significant-pro-life-victory/
