The US Department of Justice (DOJ) will ask the Supreme Court to stop limits on the sale of mifepristone soon after an appeals court decision that limited an earlier ruling that would have revoked the abortion pill’s clearance for use, according to Al Jazeera.
The decision came shortly after an appeals court upheld a number of abortion pill access restrictions. Despite the fact that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the mailing and distribution of mifepristone to patients between seven and ten weeks of pregnancy, an appeals court placed various restrictions on its use.
According to Al Jazeera, following the Supreme Court’s decision last June to overturn Roe v Wade, which ended the US Constitution’s protection of the right to abortion, anti-abortion rights organisations have focused on the availability of abortion drugs such as mifepristone. Other Republican-controlled states have since enacted stringent abortion restrictions.
A federal judge in Texas granted an order last Friday that would have temporarily halted the FDA’s approval of mifepristone while he reviewed legal arguments regarding the medication’s availability. The judge, however, delayed his decision for seven days to allow the federal government to file an appeal.
Following the ruling by the Texas judge, the US Food and Drug Administration issued the following statement Friday night, stating that the drug is safe and effective for its intended use. The Texas judge’s decision on the abortion pill sparked widespread outrage. US Vice President Joe Biden announced that his administration would appeal a Texas judge’s decision to block the FDA’s approval of an abortion drug.
“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,” Biden said in a written statement.
