The US Justice Department has recently stated that it will go to the Supreme Court to appeal restrictions imposed on a widely-used abortion pill in the latest round of an intensifying battle over reproductive rights.
The ruling was made shortly after an appeals court upheld a number of access limitations on abortion pills.
Therefore, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently permitted the mailing and distribution of mifepristone to patients between 7-10 weeks of pregnancy, but that appeals court nevertheless placed various restrictions on its use.
According to sources, after the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v Wade last June, which ended the US Constitution’s protection of the right to an abortion, the anti-abortion rights organizations have turned their attention to the availability of abortion drugs like mifepristone.
Since then, other states governed by Republicans have imposed extensive abortion restrictions.
Previously, a federal judge in Texas granted an order that would have momentarily halted the FDA’s approval of mifepristone while he reviewed legal arguments regarding the availability of the medication.
However, the judge postponed his decision for 7 days to enable the federal government to file an appeal.
The Washington federal court issued its ruling less than 2 hours later, stating the FDA must maintain access to abortion medications in more than a dozen states with Democratic governors. Since the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, the two verdicts represent the most important abortion-related precedents.
Further, while overturning of Roe vs Wade demonstrates the tangible impacts that it has on patients seeking access to medical procedures. On June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court abolished abortion rights while overturning the constitutional right granted to women in a historical 1973 ruling called Roe vs Wade.
After the Texas judge issued the ruling, the US Food and Drug Administration issued the following statement on Friday night saying that the drug is safe and effective for its indicated use.
The decision by the Texas judge on the abortion pill received widespread reactions.
US President Joe Biden declared that his government would challenge the Texas judge’s decision to block the FDA’s approval of an abortion drug.
Biden stated in a written statement that “My Administration will fight this ruling. The Department of Justice has already filed an appeal and will seek an immediate stay of the decision. But let’s be clear – the only way to stop those who are committed to taking away women’s rights and freedoms in every state is to elect a Congress who will pass a law restoring Roe versus Wade.”
