Texas Judge to Consider Banning Abortion Pill in US

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Facts

  • US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk is set to hear arguments on Wednesday over whether mifepristone, an abortion pill, should be banned nationwide. The pill was granted approval over two decades ago.1
  • When used with a second pill the drug is the most common method of abortion in the US. Kacsmaryk, an appointee of former-Pres. Trump, will hear arguments in Amarillo from the Alliance for Defending Freedom — a pro-life Christian group — on behalf of several anti-abortion groups and physicians.2
  • The group claims that the FDA exceeded its regulatory authority in approving the drug and has removed acceptable safeguards surrounding its distribution and use. These include dosage and route of administration amendments in 2016 as well as lifting an in-person dispensing requirement allowing pills to be mailed in 2021.3
  • Lawyers from the Dept. of Justice, the producer of mifepristone, as well as the challenging group, will be present to make their arguments. Anonymous sources have claimed that Kacsmaryk delayed placing the hearing on the public docket until late the evening before to minimize disruptions and possible protests.4
  • The Biden admin. has argued that the challenging group doesn't have the legal standing to bring the lawsuit. Medication-based abortion is currently legal in 22 states (15 of which must be prescribed by a doctor) as well as in Washington, DC.5

Sources: 1Reuters, 2Associated Press, 3CBS, 4The texas tribune and 5NBC.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Los angeles times. The Texas lawsuit is weak, as mifepristone has been proven safe and effective for years. The drug, if anything, has been overly regulated since its approval in 2000. The attempt to ban its use highlights the extreme and dangerous lengths that anti-abortion activists will go to attack civil rights. In a post-Roe v. Wade world, such assaults on abortion will continue unless states and Congress take a stand.
  • Right narrative, as provided by The western journal. While mifepristone has been advertised and sold to women as a fundamental need, in reality, the drug is a synthetic steroid that causes healthy reproductive systems to malfunction. With deadly infection risks and daunting adverse effects, it is little wonder that the Texas lawsuit is questioning the legitimacy of the FDA's approval.

Predictions