A US federal appeals court took action on Wednesday (August 16th) to impose limitations on the widely utilized abortion pill, mifepristone. The decision, which partially counters a lower court’s attempt to revoke the approval of the abortion pill by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), instead restricts its usage to the initial seven weeks of pregnancy and bans its distribution via mail.
A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, situated in New Orleans, explained that by easing safety regulations on mifepristone, the FDA neglected to address significant concerns regarding the safety of women who would use the drug.
According to the news agency AFP, the ruling and its associated restrictions will be held in abeyance while the US Supreme Court contemplates whether to take up the case.
The ruling shortens the window for using the abortion pill from ten to seven weeks and mandates that mifepristone must be prescribed by a medical professional. Nevertheless, for the interim, the drug will remain available on the market.
This decision, as reported by AFP, was rendered by a panel of conservative judges, two of whom were appointed by the former US President Donald Trump, a Republican.
Anti-abortion groups have been advocating for the prohibition of mifepristone. Despite the medication’s established safety record, these groups cite safety apprehensions as the rationale behind their proposed ban.
Mifepristone, as outlined by AFP, accounts for over half of all abortions conducted in the United States. According to the FDA, approximately 5.6 million Americans have used mifepristone to terminate pregnancies since its approval in 2000.
In April, Texas Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, another appointee of Trump, annulled the FDA’s 23-year-old authorization of mifepristone. In response, the Supreme Court intervened and temporarily preserved access to the drug. Subsequently, the apex court returned the case to the 5th Circuit.
President Joe Biden characterized Kacsmaryk’s ruling as “out of bounds.” However, during a hearing in May, the three-judge panel pushed back against the government’s stance that the decision regarding mifepristone’s use should remain within the purview of the FDA.
In June 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned the historic Roe v. Wade ruling and the nationwide right to abortion. Since then, the United States has been embroiled in a contentious debate over reproductive rights, and this legal clash over access to abortion pills marks the latest development in this ongoing struggle.
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