Ahead of Texas Abortion Pill Ruling, Some Urge Biden Administration to Do More on Issue

Eight months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, the Biden administration is bracing for another ruling that could further restrict access to abortion across the country. Administration officials are preparing to respond to a ruling from a conservative federal judge in the Northern District of Texas that could restrict one type of abortion pill—mifepristone—that has been used for decades in medication abortions. If the judge’s order does restrict access to mifepristone, it could also impact treatments for miscarriages, where the drug is used as well. Lawyers at the Department of Justice and Health and Human services are watching the case closely and prepared to challenge the ruling, depending on how it comes down, the White House says. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] In the meantime, many physicians and public health experts would like to see the Biden administration take bolder actions to make medication abortions more accessible. “There’s a lot more the Biden Administration could have done and could still do,” says Ushma Upadhyay, a public health scientist and professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Medication abortions make up more than half of all abortions conducted nationwide. They’ve been used for more than two decades in the United States, and the pills are considered medically safe for use around the world. The standard method in the U.S. involves two steps, administered through 10 we...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized abortion Biden Administration Health Care Joe Biden uspoliticspolicy Source Type: news