mifepristone
US appeals court allows abortion pill with restrictions
The abortion drug mifepristone may continue to be used in the United States for the time being – with major restrictions. photo
© Allen G. Breed/AP/dpa
A majority of the US population supports abortion rights. However, an influential minority is taking action against it. For them there is now a small defeat.
The fight for abortion rights in the USA is entering the next round: an appeals court has ruled that the abortion pill mifepristone may continue to be used for the time being – albeit with considerable restrictions. The judgment of a judge in the US state of Texas has thus been partially blocked. He had suspended the approval of the drug.
The new decision stipulates that mifepristone can no longer be sent by post. She also only allows the pill up to the seventh week of pregnancy – previously the drug was allowed up to the tenth week. The US government immediately announced that it would take action against the decision.
Mifepristone was approved in the US in 2000 and is commonly used with the drug misoprostol for pregnancy termination. Misoprostol can also be used alone. However, the World Health Organization only recommends this if mifepristone is not available. According to the FDA, mifepristone is a reliable drug.
US government wants to continue fighting in court
Abortion opponents had sued against the approval – they want to make access to medical abortion more difficult. The religious right and large parts of the Republican Party in particular have been trying for decades to curtail abortion rights in the USA – with success. The new ruling is just a small victory for abortion rights advocates, as the ruling severely restricts access to mifepristone.
The US government had taken action against the original decision of the Texas judge and also wants to appeal the new verdict and get a stay of the proceedings. One is “not at all in agreement” with this, said the Ministry of Justice with a view to the decision. An urgent petition will be filed with the US Supreme Court to protect people’s access to “safe and effective” medicines.
Abortion advocates are concerned about a possible Supreme Court ruling on the abortion pill. Last year, the right-wing majority in the court overturned the country’s abortion rights, which had been in effect for almost 50 years. According to surveys, a majority of the population supports this right.