US Court Permits Abortion Drug for Now with Restrictions
2023-04-14
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1A federal appeals court ruled late Wednesday that the abortion drug mifepristone may still be used in the United States for now with some restrictions.
2Abortion is a process that ends a woman's pregnancy.
3One restriction requires visiting a doctor in-person to receive the drug.
4Another restriction limits the drug's use to the first seven weeks of pregnancy, down from the current 10 weeks.
5The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug Mifepristone 23 years ago.
6In 2016, the agency expanded the use to 10 weeks and permitted sending it to women by mail.
7Medical experts say millions of women have used the drug to end their pregnancies in combination with a second drug, misoprostol.
8The appeals court decision narrowed a ruling by a lower court judge in Texas.
9That ruling suspended the FDA's approval of the drug.
10Preventing the drug from being sent by mail means there is a limit on the most used method of abortion in the U.S.
11Alliance Defending Freedom, the group that brought the Texas legal case against the drug, called the federal appeals court decision a "victory."
12The group was also involved in the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade to end the constitutional right to abortion last year.
13U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that the Biden administration "strongly disagrees" with the appeals court decision.
14"We will be seeking emergency relief from the Supreme Court to defend the FDA's scientific judgment and protect Americans' access to safe and effective reproductive care," he said.
15The latest abortion dispute started last Friday with conflicting court decisions in the states of Texas and Oregon.
16In Texas, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ordered a hold on FDA approval of mifepristone last Friday.
17The order came after anti-abortion groups claimed that the FDA used an improper process when it approved mifepristone in 2000.
18They said the agency did not fully consider the drug's safety when used by girls under the age of 18 to end a pregnancy.
19Kacsmaryk agreed with the anti-abortion groups.
20He wrote that the FDA ignored safety concerns when it approved mifepristone.
21His order also agreed with anti-abortion groups who said that a 19th-century law could be used to block sending abortion drugs through the mail.
22The Comstock Act was passed in 1873.
23It banned mailing birth control methods and things that could be used in an abortion.
24Since then, courts have narrowed the law.
25Some legal experts say the law has not been enforced since the 1930s.
26But anti-abortion groups turned to the law after the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision.
27In Oregon, U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice issued a different ruling.
28He ordered federal officials not to make any changes that would restrict the use of mifepristone.
29The ruling came from a legal action brought by a group of 17 Democratic Party-led states seeking to expand availability of abortion drugs.
30States led by Democratic Party governors are buying up drugs used in abortions to guarantee their availability.
31On Monday, the Justice Department appealed Kacsmaryk's ruling.
32Also, more than 300 drug company officials signed an open letter calling for the Texas ruling to be struck down.
33They said the ruling limits the FDA's power and ignores years of scientific evidence of the drug's safety.
34Alliance Defending Freedom said in a call with the media early Thursday that it did not plan to ask the Supreme Court to become involved at this point.
35It remains unclear if the Supreme Court will take the case.
36But the appeal of Kacsmaryk's earlier ruling will continue in the appeals court whether or not all or part of it remains in effect.
37I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1A federal appeals court ruled late Wednesday that the abortion drug mifepristone may still be used in the United States for now with some restrictions. 2Abortion is a process that ends a woman's pregnancy. 3One restriction requires visiting a doctor in-person to receive the drug. Another restriction limits the drug's use to the first seven weeks of pregnancy, down from the current 10 weeks. 4The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug Mifepristone 23 years ago. In 2016, the agency expanded the use to 10 weeks and permitted sending it to women by mail. Medical experts say millions of women have used the drug to end their pregnancies in combination with a second drug, misoprostol. 5The appeals court decision narrowed a ruling by a lower court judge in Texas. That ruling suspended the FDA's approval of the drug. Preventing the drug from being sent by mail means there is a limit on the most used method of abortion in the U.S. 6Alliance Defending Freedom, the group that brought the Texas legal case against the drug, called the federal appeals court decision a "victory." The group was also involved in the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade to end the constitutional right to abortion last year. 7U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that the Biden administration "strongly disagrees" with the appeals court decision. 8"We will be seeking emergency relief from the Supreme Court to defend the FDA's scientific judgment and protect Americans' access to safe and effective reproductive care," he said. 9Competing decisions 10The latest abortion dispute started last Friday with conflicting court decisions in the states of Texas and Oregon. 11In Texas, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ordered a hold on FDA approval of mifepristone last Friday. The order came after anti-abortion groups claimed that the FDA used an improper process when it approved mifepristone in 2000. They said the agency did not fully consider the drug's safety when used by girls under the age of 18 to end a pregnancy. 12Kacsmaryk agreed with the anti-abortion groups. He wrote that the FDA ignored safety concerns when it approved mifepristone. 13His order also agreed with anti-abortion groups who said that a 19th-century law could be used to block sending abortion drugs through the mail. The Comstock Act was passed in 1873. It banned mailing birth control methods and things that could be used in an abortion. Since then, courts have narrowed the law. 14Some legal experts say the law has not been enforced since the 1930s. But anti-abortion groups turned to the law after the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision. 15In Oregon, U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice issued a different ruling. He ordered federal officials not to make any changes that would restrict the use of mifepristone. 16The ruling came from a legal action brought by a group of 17 Democratic Party-led states seeking to expand availability of abortion drugs. States led by Democratic Party governors are buying up drugs used in abortions to guarantee their availability. 17On Monday, the Justice Department appealed Kacsmaryk's ruling. Also, more than 300 drug company officials signed an open letter calling for the Texas ruling to be struck down. They said the ruling limits the FDA's power and ignores years of scientific evidence of the drug's safety. 18What's next? 19Alliance Defending Freedom said in a call with the media early Thursday that it did not plan to ask the Supreme Court to become involved at this point. 20It remains unclear if the Supreme Court will take the case. But the appeal of Kacsmaryk's earlier ruling will continue in the appeals court whether or not all or part of it remains in effect. 21I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 22Hai Do wrote this report for VOA Learning English from Associated Press and Reuters sources. 23_________________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25prevail -v. to defeat an opponent 26improper -adj. not correct 27relief -n. (legal) assistance asked of a court of law 28access -n. the ability to get something; the availability of something 29___________________________________________________________________ 30We want to hear from you. 31Here is how our comment system works: 32Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.