Twelve Democratic-led states challenge FDA restrictions on abortion pills

Twelve Democratic-ruled states sued Food and Drug Administration (FDA) try to lift federal restrictions on distribution mifepristone abortion pills.

In the lawsuit, they argue that these restrictions are not supported by evidence and safe abortion options have become limited across the country since the Supreme Court overturned Rowe vs. Wade and with that, federal protection right to abortion.

The lawsuit, brought by the states of Washington and Oregon, was filed on Thursday in federal court in Yakima, Washington, and is directed at Expand access to mifepristone by allowing any doctor or pharmacy to prescribe and dispense it, like most drugs. Currently, physicians prescribing mifepristone and pharmacies dispensing it must undergo special certification.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court, represents the states of Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Meanwhile, Texas is leading a separate lawsuit filed by anti-abortion activists seeking to shut down access to the drug.

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said he is suing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because restrictions on the use of mifepristone for abortion are “completely unreasonable and not medically necessary.”

Ferguson, who spoke to NPR’s “All That Matters” on Saturday, is one of 12 Democratic attorneys general who filed a lawsuit accusing the federal agency of over-regulating drugs.

Mifepristone is usually used in combination with misoprostol to terminate a pregnancy in the first trimester. Ferguson says that is one of only 60 drugsof over 20,000 FDA-approved drugs, which has additional restrictions that make it difficult to prescribe and dispense the drug.

But while misoprostol is freely available, the FDA has strict controls on who can prescribe and dispense mifepristone.

Medical abortion accounts for more than half of all abortions in the United States.

– Texas is suing the Biden administration for requiring pharmacies to write prescriptions for abortion pills.
– The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled in favor of maintaining the near-total ban on abortion in the state.
– Florida is seeking to revive a law that would block public funds for abortion facilities.

Author: Maria Ortiz
Source: La Opinion

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