"The district court's extraordinary decision, the first of its kind, should be suspended pending the appeal hearing," the Justice Department wrote in an appeal to an appeals court.

Conservative federal Texas Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled Friday to ban the abortion drug mifepristone. Kacsmaryk's decision came after a number of anti-abortion groups filed a lawsuit to have the national approval of the drug overturned.

"If the decision goes into effect, it will thwart the FDA's scientific assessment and seriously affect women," the Justice Department wrote in its appeal.

The legal battle over the drug is ongoing on several fronts. Just an hour after the announcement in Texas on Friday, a federal judge issued a Washington ruling to the contrary, ordering continued access to the drug in 17 U.S. states. The Justice Department also approached the federal judge in Washington to have the ruling clarified.

Mifepristone has been approved in the United States for more than 20 years and is used in a majority of abortions in the country. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is also questioning Kacsmaryk's ruling.

Javascript is disabled

Javascript must be turned on to play video

Learn more about browser support

Watch SVT's reporter Fouad Youcefi on five referendums on abortion during the midterm elections in the United States. Photo: SVT, Kristopher Rädder/TT