World News | Abortion pill case moves to appeals court, could head to Supreme Court

NEW ORLEANS (United States), May 17 (AP) – Legal wrangling over women’s access to the drug used in the most common abortion method took place Wednesday in a federal appeals court in New Orleans, in a ruling challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s decision. case more than twenty years ago.

The closely watched case is likely to end in the Supreme Court, which has intervened to keep the drug mifepristone available while the legal battle moves through the courts.

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Three U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals judges with a history of supporting abortion restrictions will hear arguments. At issue are the FDA’s first approval of mifepristone in 2000, and the FDA’s actions in subsequent years to make the drug more accessible. The judge will not issue a ruling immediately.

Judges nominated by former President Donald Trump to the district and appeals courts were instrumental in the case, which is still being debated nearly a year after the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling that established abortion rights middle.

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Fourteen states have banned abortion at all stages of pregnancy, and others have adopted or are discussing major restrictions.

In November, abortion opponents in Texas filed suit in federal court in Amarillo, presided over by Trump’s nominee for U.S. District Judge Matthew Katzmarik.

Kacsmaryk issued a ruling on April 7 that would revoke the FDA’s approval of mifepristone in a Texas lawsuit brought by opponents of abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The Biden administration and drugmaker Danco Laboratories quickly appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals seeking a stay of Kacsmaryk’s ruling.

The appeals panel narrowed Kacsmaryk’s ruling in a 2-1 vote, but did not block it entirely. Opponents of abortion appeared to be limited by a time limit from challenging the original 2000 approval, their April 13 ruling said. But the panel said reimposed rules on doctor visits and a ban on mailing medications are likely to remain.

The Supreme Court later set aside the lower court’s decision pending an appeal, and the right to use mifepristone will almost certainly remain in place through at least next year.

The case is currently in the hands of Trump nominees James Ho and Corey Wilson and George W. Bush nominee Jennifer Walker Elrod. The Fifth Circuit has 17 sitting judges, mostly Republican nominees.

In the years since mifepristone was originally approved, the FDA has extended its use from seven to 10 weeks of gestation, reduced the dose needed to safely terminate a pregnancy, eliminated the requirement to visit a doctor in person, and allowed Get your pills by mail.

Mifepristone is one of two pills that are used along with misoprostol for medical abortion. Healthcare providers say they can switch to misoprostol if mifepristone is no longer available or becomes too difficult to obtain. Misoprostol is slightly less effective at terminating a pregnancy. (Associated Press)

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