Judge in Washington Orders Feds to Keep Abortion Pill Access
. The judge in Washington state ordered U.S. authorities not to make any changes that would restrict access to the abortion medication mifepristone in 17 Democratic-led states.
SPOKANE (Washington) (AP). A federal judge from Washington State on Friday ordered U.S. officials not to make changes that would limit access to mifepristone, an abortion drug, in 17 Democratic-led States that sued on the issue. This ruling countered a Texas judge's decision on the same day, who ordered a suspension of federal approval for the drug.
Dueling decisions have thrown into doubt the most popular method of abortion in America, which scientists have been approving for decades.
U.S. District judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk in Amarillo Texas, an appointee of the Trump administration, has signed an injunction directing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to suspend the approval of mifepristone while a lawsuit is pending challenging the safety and approval. The ruling was made in a suit brought by the conservative organization Alliance Defending Freedom.
Spokane-based judge Thomas O. Rice, a Obama appointee who was appointed to the position, granted partial approval of a request made by 17 states and District of Columbia. Rice, an Obama administration appointee, partially granted a request from 17 states and the District of Columbia.