U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, has invalidated the FDA’s two-decade-old approval of mifepristone, part of a drug regimen used in medication abortion. The order will take effect on April 14, unless an appeals court or the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes.
In Washington state, U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice, appointed by former President Barack Obama, directed the FDA not to make any changes that would restrict access to the drug in 17 states and the District of Columbia, where Democrats sued to protect its availability.
The conflicting rulings are all but assured to wind up before the Supreme Court.
KHN senior correspondent Sarah Varney joined PBS NewsHour’s Ali Rogin to discuss the language in both decisions and what they portend for the future of abortion rights in the United States.
We encourage organizations to republish our content, free of charge. Here’s what we ask:
You must credit us as the original publisher, with a hyperlink to our khn.org site. If possible, please include the original author(s) and “Kaiser Health News” in the byline. Please preserve the hyperlinks in the story.
It’s important to note, not everything on khn.org is available for republishing. If a story is labeled “All Rights Reserved,” we cannot grant permission to republish that item.
Have questions? Let us know at KHNHelp@kff.org