• Discrimination > Healthcare
• Relationships & Family > Reproductive Justice

WASHINGTON, DC – Today a federal judge in Texas, in the case Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, stayed the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, one of two medications used most commonly for medication abortion in the U.S. While stopping short of a full injunction, the court’s action threatens access to an important form of abortion care.

Mifepristone was first approved by the FDA more than 20 years ago, and has since been used by more than five million people in the U.S. to safely end their pregnancies. Medication abortion helps people make their own private medical decisions and has expanded access to abortion care.

Statement from NCLR Federal Policy Director Julianna S. Gonen: 

“This unprecedented action to stay the FDA’s approval of a safe and effective medication is alarming not only for its potential to decimate access to abortion care, but for its broader implications. Judge Kacsmaryk’s ruling threatens the FDA’s authority over the approval process for medications, and could have far-reaching consequences for patients’ access to other FDA-approved medications. It is an appalling rejection of science and public health, and we hope that it will be swiftly reversed on appeal.”