Federal Judge Issues Injunction Suspending FDA Approval of Abortion Pill Mifepristone, Raising Questions Over Access to Abortion in the U.S.

A federal judge has issued an injunction suspending the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, a move that could have far-reaching implications for abortion access in the United States.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled on Friday that the FDA’s two-decade-old approval of the drug violated a federal rule that allows for accelerated approval for certain drugs and, along with subsequent actions by the agency, was unlawful.

Kacsmaryk’s injunction stopped short of withdrawing or suspending the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, as a group of anti-abortion activists had requested. However, the judge gave the government a week to appeal his decision, which could throw access to medication abortions into question nationwide.

Over half of U.S. abortions are done by medication abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. The pills have become increasingly significant in the fights over abortion access that have ensued since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

The ruling is the latest development in the ongoing battle over abortion rights in the United States. It remains to be seen how the government will respond to the ruling and what the implications will be for access to abortion in the country.