The U.S. Department of Justice is appealing a ruling suspending the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone, a drug used in medication abortions.
The ruling came on Friday from Judge Matthew Kacymark, a federal judge in Texas with a track record of opposing abortion rights. More than 400 pharma executives signed a statement condemning the ruling, saying it ignored both scientific and legal precedent.
Since it was approved in 2000 by the FDA, mifepristone has been shown to be a safe and effective way to have an abortion with medication. If Kacsymaryk’s ruling holds, it would effectively ban the sale of the pills across the country.
We hear from Laurie Bertram Roberts, executive director and co-founder of the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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