Federal judge suspends abortion pill in U.S.

Boxes of mifepristone, the main pill used for medical abortions, at a clinic in New Mexico, January 13, 2023. REUTERS - EVELYN HOCKSTEIN

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Ten months after the annulment of Roe v. Wade, a federal judge in Texas suspended, Friday, April 7, the abortion pill. Used in the context of medical abortions, it has become the new issue in the battle between pro and anti-abortion in the United States.

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This is another resounding victory for American conservatives in their battle to ban abortion. A federal judge announced Friday, April 7, the suspension of the marketing authorization in the United States of mifepristone (RU 486), one of the two pills used for abortions. A measure that prevents in practice its prescription while every year half a million women resort to it.

This decision was made by a notoriously ultraconservative judge in Texas, Matthew Kacsmaryk, whom Nancy Pelosi, the former leader of the Democrats in the House, has called an "extremist", reports our correspondent in the United States, David Thomson. He was appointed by Donald Trump after serving as a lawyer for a pro-life Christian organization. On 67 pages, the magistrate validates most of the arguments in the complaint filed in November by a coalition of doctors and anti-abortion organizations against the US Drug Administration (FDA). Like them, it takes up studies on the risks attributed to the abortion pill, although they are considered negligible by the majority of the scientific community. He also accuses the FDA of failing to follow its procedures in order to meet a political objective.

Joe Biden wants to "fight" this decision

US President Joe Biden said in a statement Friday that he would "fight" the decision, which he called an "unprecedented attempt to deprive women of fundamental freedoms." Vice President Kamala Harris denounced for her part a "threat to women's rights".

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This is unheard of and deeply damaging " commented the powerful family planning organization Planned Parenthood, which runs many abortion clinics in the country. "The Texas judge's decision ... is outrageous and reveals the instrumentalization of our judicial system to further restrict abortion across the country," Alexis McGill Johnson, its president, said in a statement. "We should all be furious that a judge can unilaterally reject medical evidence and overturn FDA approval of a drug that has been used safely and effectively for more than 20 years," she added.

The Ministry of Justice will appeal

Kacsmaryk said he was giving federal authorities one week to possibly appeal the decision. In theory, his decision could apply to all of the United States, even in states where abortion is still legal. Except that at the same time another judge in the state of Washington issued a contrary opinion, considering that the authorization of the abortion pill can not be withdrawn in the 17 Democratic states that had seized it.

The Justice Ministry has already said it is appealing the judge's ruling. "He will appeal ... and will ask for a reprieve in the meantime," said Justice Minister Merrick Garland, denouncing this decision that "contravenes the judgment of the FDA (US Drug Agency) experts, rendered more than 20 years ago, that mifepristone is safe and effective."

This appeal should be heard urgently by a Court of Appeals located in New Orleans, also known for its conservatism. The case should therefore quickly end up before the Supreme Court of the United States, which will therefore have to decide. A Supreme Court that leans very far to the right since the appointment of three justices by Donald Trump. This is the same court that overturned Roe v. Wade in June, which guaranteed the federal right to abortion and gave each state the freedom to legislate on the matter. Since then, about fifteen have banned abortions on their soil.

► Also listen: USA/abortion: a legal right, a political history

(

And with AFP)

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  • United States
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