The White House said on Monday (April 10) that it is prepared to fight and protect reproductive rights after Texas federal judge’s ruling suspended approval of the abortion pill Mifepristone. Mifepristone is part of a two-drug regimen for medication abortions in the first ten weeks of pregnancy. The pill accounts for over half of all abortions in the US.
Addressing a press conference, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the court ruling dangerous.
“Over the weekend, a single court in Texas has taken the dangerous steps of rejecting FDA’s (Food and Drug Administration) scientific approval of Mifepristone, a medication that has been on the market for more than 20 years and is used safely in more than 60 countries, providing critical care for women. This court decision threatens access to this medication, which is used not only for abortion but also for other critical purposes, like helping women manage miscarriages,” she said.
Jean-Pierre added the ruling further strips away Americans’ fundamental freedoms and interferes with a woman’s ability to make decisions about her own body. The White House press secretary clarified that Mifepristone continues to be available and approved for the time being.
Last Friday (April 10), Texas federal judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled that the FDA exceeded its authority by ignoring the abortion pill’s risks and relying on “plainly unsound reasoning” when approving it.
Earlier on Monday, the US government appealed the judge’s decision to suspend the FDA’s 23-year-old approval of Mifepristone. In a court filing, the Justice Department said that the district court’s extraordinary and unprecedented order should be stayed pending appeal, the news agency AFP reported.
“If allowed to take effect, the court’s order would thwart FDA’s scientific judgment and severely harm women,” the filing added.
Also on Monday, around 400 pharmaceutical executives including Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla signed the letter criticising the April 10 ruling. The decision ignores decades of scientific evidence and legal precedent, the letter said, adding Judge Kacsmaryk’s act of judicial interference set a precedent for diminishing FDA’s authority over drug approvals.
(With inputs from agencies)
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