A federal court in the US state of Texas has suspended the approval of the abortion drug mifepristone in the US with a court order. However, the decision issued on Friday (local time) will not enter into force for seven days to allow the authority responsible for approving medicines to appeal against the decision. US Attorney General Merrick Garland promptly announced on Friday that his ministry would be appointed.
US President Joe Biden also announced that his administration would take action against the decision. Observers expect the case to end up before the US Supreme Court. Mifepristone is one of two drugs commonly used together in the United States for medical termination of pregnancy. If it loses approval, so will states where abortion is legal. Abortion opponents had sued against the drug’s approval.
Every second abortion is medical
The Texas verdict is seen as the most significant ruling in the fight for abortion rights in the United States since the Supreme Court in June overturned nationwide abortion rights in a historic decision. According to the Guttmacher Institute, which specializes in reproductive health, more than half of all abortions in the United States are medical. The ban makes access to such an intervention more difficult, critics warned.
The Justice Department and other courts are taking action against the decision
The Texas court decision contradicts the FDA’s ruling that mifepristone is “safe and effective,” Garland said Friday. The Justice Department will continue to defend the FDA’s decision. In addition, the ministry wants to investigate a decision by the state of Washington. According to a report from The New York Times, another federal court in Washington state issued a conflicting decision just an hour after the Texas judge ruled, requiring the regulatory agency not to make any changes to access to the drug. .
President Biden criticized the Texas court decision as “another unprecedented move” that deprives women of basic freedoms and puts their health at risk. If passed, “it would deny access to the drug to women in all states,” regardless of whether abortion is legal in a state.
Mifepristone was approved in the United States in 2000 and has traditionally been used in combination with the drug misoprostol for abortions. Misoprostol can also be used alone for abortion. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends this approach when mifepristone is not available. According to the Guttmacher Institute, it is unclear how many doctors would switch to this method. Doctors in the United States have less experience with this, epidemiologist Heidi Moseson told Nature.
Possible consequences for corona vaccine feared
Abortion rights are one of the most controversial political issues in the United States. Above all, the religious right and large parts of the Republican Party have been trying for decades to limit or even abolish this right. The judge in the current case, Matthew Kacsmaryk, was appointed by former President Donald Trump. Critics fear the ruling could open the door to further bans on abortion drugs or even the coronavirus vaccine.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
