LOCAL NEWS
Mifepristone protected in Washington despite Texas judge ruling
Apr 7, 2023, 5:47 PM | Updated: 5:50 pm
Mifepristone (Mifeprex) and Misoprostol, the two drugs used in a medication abortion, are seen at the Women's Reproductive Clinic, which provides legal medication abortion services, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on June 17, 2022. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP via Getty Images)
Despite Texas Federal Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s ruling to block access to the abortion-inducing drug Mifepristone, the decision won’t impact Washington and 17 other states, at least not for the foreseeable future.
Judge halts FDA approval of abortion pill mifepristone
Eastern Washington Federal Judge Thomas Rice ruled, at the same time the Texas Federal Judge halted FDA of Mifepristone, that access to the medication should be allowed. The judge upheld the FDA’s risk mitigation strategy, which decided the benefits of the medication outweighed the risks.
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson called the decision a “huge win” in the protection of access to abortion medication.
#BREAKING Huge win in our lawsuit to protect access to abortion medication!
At the same time a judge in Texas issued a radical ruling blocking access to mifipristone, Judge Rice in the Eastern District of WA ruled in our favor, protecting access for the 18 plaintiff states.
— Bob Ferguson (@BobFergusonAG) April 7, 2023
The American Medical Association blasted Kacsmaryk’s decision Friday, stating it “flies in the face of science and evidence.”
Kacsmaryk is an appointee of former President Donald Trump.
State secures large supply of abortion drug ahead of possible ban
White House lawyers will now review the opposing decisions from judges in Washington and Texas on the FDA’s approval of a medication abortion pill, according to CNN.
