Knowing that the abortion drug case was likely to provoke public outrage, Kacsmaryk took special steps to keep the proceedings confidential. However, in a March 10 conference call with lawyers, Kacsmaryk said he would try to delay the announcement of the hearing until the night before.but washington post learned of the call a day later and publicly warned of the impending hearings.
At a public hearing on March 15, washington postKacsmaryk appeared open to the anti-abortion group’s claims that mifepristone could be harmful or deadly, hastening the FDA approval process.
“How many more women will have to die?” Eric Baptiste, a lawyer for the anti-abortion group, asked at the hearing. Lubbock Avalanche Journal.
In fact, scientific evidence clearly shows that: is mifepristone safeAs of 2018, according to FDA data: 24 out of 3.7 million Some people have died after taking mifepristone, but their deaths were never conclusively linked to the drug. He stated that % showed no major side effects.
Mandating a ban on an FDA-approved drug, especially one that has been in widespread use for over 20 years, is an unprecedented decision. Acknowledging this, Kacsmaryk asked Baptist if he knew of any other rulings that have taken drugs off the market. Associated PressBaptiste said there had been none, but claimed this was because the FDA had “thwarted” previous challenges to the drug.
In the “ordinary world” Laurie ChaitenA senior staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union’s Reproductive Freedom Project told BuzzFeed News ahead of a hearing on March 15 that the anti-abortion group’s lawsuit would have been dismissed from the start. That fact shows that we have entered “unknown waters,” she said.
“What plaintiffs are demanding here is unprecedented,” Chaiten said. “Courts don’t just jump into the market and eliminate drugs, especially drugs that are on the market. [23 years]”
Democratic-led state ahead of debate in Texas lawsuit sued the FDA In late February, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. But it also sought a ruling ordering the authorities not to “take any action to remove mifepristone from the market or reduce its availability.” On Friday, Barack Obama-nominated District Judge Thomas Owen Rice did just that, ruling that the preliminary injunction was in the public interest.
Still, Rice wrote that a national injunction in this case was “inappropriate,” citing competing lawsuits in Texas.
It remains unclear how the Supreme Court will resolve the two disagreements, but if Kacsmaryk’s decision becomes effective, its ramifications will be felt across the country.
“Even in states where abortion is legal, if it’s an unapproved drug, there could be legal implications for continuing to prescribe it, and certainly for these sponsors to continue distributing it. said Chaiten.
David Mack and Stephanie K. Baer contributed reporting for this article.
