The conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled late last night that access to mifepristone would be preserved but with limitations, temporarily narrowing the ruling by a far-right Trumpist District Court judge in Texas that blocked the FDA's approval of the drug. From the Associated Press' report:
"Just before midnight Wednesday, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that the FDA’s initial approval of mifepristone in 2000 could remain in effect.
But in the 2-1 vote, the panel of judges put on hold changes made by the regulator since 2016 that relaxed the rules for prescribing and dispensing mifepristone. Those included extending the period of pregnancy when the drug can be used from seven weeks to 10, and also allowing it to be dispensed by mail, without any need to visit a doctor’s office."
Two of the three judges on the panel were appointed by the Malignant Loser, and the third by President George Bush, and were the ones voting for restrictions. By inserting themselves into a medical and scientific matter, District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk and the appellate court judges potentially opened up the door to any medication approved by the FDA being blocked from use by a court. Pharmaceutical companies have condemned Kacsmaryk's initial ruling. The case is ultimately headed to the Supreme Court.
After the Dobbs decision last summer which brought down Roe v. Wade, Republicans and their Christofascist allies have been on the move in multiple states to ban abortion outright or restrict it severely. It's a move that's backfired on them politically, most recently in the Wisconsin election for a state Supreme Court judge which resulted in a progressive win. According to recent polling, it's even a loser issue among Republicans.
