The U.S. government is cracking down on the ban on abortion drugs

On Friday, a judge in the state of Texas suspended approval for mifepristone. The decision is expected to take effect at the end of this week.

The petition states that the court made a “misjudgment”. The drug is “safe and effective”. “Should this order go into effect, it will cause irreparable damage to patients, the healthcare system and businesses.”

Mifepristone was approved in the US in 2000 and is often used in combination with the drug misoprostol for pregnancy termination. Misoprostol can also be used alone. However, the World Health Organization recommends this only when mifepristone is not available.

According to the FDA, mifepristone is a reliable drug. Abortion opponents want the lawsuit against the approval to make access to medical abortion more difficult. In particular, the religious right and large parts of the Republican Party have been trying to limit abortion rights in the US for decades – with success.

Last year, the right-wing Supreme Court overturned the country’s nearly 50-year-old abortion law. According to surveys, a majority of the population supports this right. President Joe Biden had already announced that he would take action against Texas’ decision. The decision is “the next big step toward a nationwide ban on abortion,” the Democrat warned.

It is expected that the case will eventually also end up before the Supreme Court – also because a court in the state of Washington almost simultaneously issued a ruling that contradicts the ruling from Texas. (sda/dpa)