What Happens Next in the Fight Over Abortion Pills

Now that a Texas judge has ruled that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s approval of the abortion pill, mifepristone, is suspended, what happens to the supply of the drug? The judge gave the Department of Justice (DOJ), which represents the FDA, until Apr. 14 to file an appeal before the suspension of the drug takes place. Both the DOJ and the drug’s maker, Danco, have filed appeals asking the Fifth Circuit Court to issue a stay on removing the drug’s approval. Making things more complicated, soon after the Texas judge’s ruling, a district court judge in Washington issued an opposing decision: that the FDA should keep mifepristone on the market and was prohibited from blocking access to the drug. That decision was in response to a lawsuit filed by attorneys general in 17 states and the District of Columbia who questioned the FDA’s requirement that doctors who prescribe mifepristone and pharmacies who dispense it be certified. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] If the appeals court does not grant a stay on the Texas judge’s decision in time, the drug would technically no longer be approved. But because no judge has called for the suspension of the FDA’s approval before, experts are divided over what that means for mifepristone. The FDA’s options Some think the FDA might have what’s called “enforcement discretion,” which legal experts are interpreting in different ways. Some believe this disc...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized abortion healthscienceclimate Source Type: news