Federal Appeals Court Preserves Access to Abortion Drug That Texas Judge Had Blocked

AUSTIN, Texas — A federal appeals court preserved access to the abortion pill mifepristone for now but reduced the period of pregnancy when the drug can be used and said it could not be dispensed by mail. The ruling late Wednesday temporarily narrowed a decision by a lower court judge in Texas that had completely blocked the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the nation’s most commonly used method of abortion. The Texas order unsettled abortion providers less than a year after the reversal of Roe v. Wade already dramatically curtailed abortion access. The case may now be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Read More: How the Texas Abortion Pill Ruling Could Limit the FDA’s Authority The lower court ruling had been on pause for a week to allow an appeal. Under the appeals court order, the FDA’s initial approval of mifepristone in 2000 is allowed to remain in effect. But changes made by the FDA since 2016 relaxing the rules for prescribing and dispensing mifepristone would be placed on hold. Those include extending the period of pregnancy when the drug can be used and also allowing it to be dispensed by mail, without any need to visit a doctor’s office. The two judges who voted to tighten restrictions, Kurt Engelhardt and Andrew Oldham, are both appointees of former President Donald Trump. The third judge, Catharina Haynes, is an appointee of former President George W. Bush. She said she woul...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized abortion wire Source Type: news