In what could be the most entertaining case of legal whiplash, attorneys general from 23 states and the District of Columbia fear that a ruling revoking the FDA’s decades-old approval of mifepristone might wreak havoc on the reproductive choices of millions! They’re urging the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to keep the party going for mifepristone while the court drama continues.
Judge Matthew “I just can’t quit you, mifepristone” Kacsmaryk of the U.S. District Court in Amarillo, Texas, decided to play the villain, attempting to squash the fun by revoking mifepristone’s FDA approvals. But, in a thrilling cliffhanger, he paused his decision for a week to let the Biden administration plot their next move. The clock is ticking, with the ruling kicking in at 12 a.m. CT on Saturday unless the 5th Circuit saves the day!
The Democratic attorneys general, poets of legal jargon, denounced Kacsmaryk’s ruling as “legally erroneous” and a shot at the FDA’s authority. They warned that if states couldn’t keep mifepristone on the market, it’d be a slap in the face to all the progress made in upholding abortion rights since Roe v. Wade’s suspenseful climax.
You see, mifepristone, when teamed up with its trusty sidekick misoprostol, forms the ultimate crime-fighting duo in terminating pregnancies. The unstoppable team accounts for around half of all abortions in the U.S.!
The attorneys general, clearly fans of this dynamic duo, wrote in their brief, “Because medication abortion is the most common method used to terminate a pregnancy during the first trimester, curtailing access to this method will result in more abortions taking place later in pregnancy, further increasing costs and medical risks.”
In a race against time, the Department of Justice is begging the 5th Circuit to make a decision by noon Thursday “to enable the government to seek relief in the Supreme Court if necessary.” Meanwhile, Danco Laboratories, mifepristone’s official cheerleader, is also asking the appeals court to give them at least 14 days to consult with the Wizard – I mean, Supreme Court – for some emergency relief./n/n Serious news: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/11/abortion-texas-mifepristone-ruling-order-threatens-access.html