Late Friday, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kaczmaryk ordered a hold on federal approval of mifepristone, the first of two drugs prescribed in medical abortions. "The immediate impact of the ruling by Kacsmaryk, which does not go into immediate effect, was unclear," the Associated Press reports.
“By illegally approving dangerous chemical abortion drugs, the FDA put women and girls in harm’s way, and it’s high time the agency is held accountable for its reckless actions," said Erik Baptist, Senior Counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, whose attorneys represented the pro-life side in this case.
Baptist continued, saying, "Pregnancy is not an illness, and chemical abortion drugs don’t provide a therapeutic benefit—they can pose serious and life-threatening complications to the mother, in addition to ending a baby’s life. The FDA never had the authority to approve these hazardous drugs and remove important safeguards. This is a significant victory for the doctors and medical associations we represent and, more importantly, the health and safety of women and girls,” he said.
However, a competing ruling was issued minutes later "by U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice, an Obama appointee, essentially ordering the opposite and directing U.S. authorities to not many any changes that would restrict access to the drug," according to the AP.
Legal observers say it's likely the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually review the cases and determine the fate of medical abortion in America.
Read of the extremely hopeful decision by Judge Kaczmaryk at the Alliance Defending Freedom:
https://adfmedia.org/case/alliance-hippocratic-medicine-v-us-food-and-drug-administration
You can read more about the competing decision out of Washington state from the Associated Press:
Massachusetts Citizens for Life is working to learn more about both rulings and what they mean for the safety of American women and the lives of our unborn citizens across the country and here in Massachusetts. We will keep you updated as we learn more details in the coming days.
Myrna Maloney Flynn, President