Soon after an appeals court judgement that limited an earlier ruling that would have revoked the abortion pill’s clearance for use, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) will move the Supreme Court to stop limits on the sale of mifepristone, Al Jazeera reported.

The ruling was made shortly after an appeals court upheld a number of access limitations on abortion pills. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently permitted the mailing and distribution of mifepristone to patients between seven and ten weeks of pregnancy, but that appeals court nevertheless placed various restrictions on its use.

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According to Al Jazeera, following the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v Wade last June, which ended the US Constitution’s protection of the right to an abortion, the anti-abortion rights organisations have turned their attention to the availability of abortion drugs like mifepristone.

Since then, other states governed by Republicans have imposed extensive abortion restrictions.

Last Friday, a federal judge in Texas granted an order that would have momentarily halted the FDA’s approval of mifepristone while he reviewed legal arguments regarding the availability of the medication.
However, the judge postponed his decision for seven days to enable the federal government to file an appeal.

A federal court in Washington state issued its ruling less than two hours later, saying the FDA must maintain access to abortion medications in more than a dozen states with Democratic governors. Since the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade last year, the two verdicts represent the most important abortion-related precedents, CNN reported.
The overturning of Roe vs Wade demonstrates the tangible impacts that it has on patients seeking access to medical procedures. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the US abolished abortion rights while overturning the constitutional right granted to women in a historical 1973 ruling called Roe vs Wade.

After the Texas judge issued the ruling, the US Food and Drug Administration issued the following statement Friday night saying that the drug is safe and effective for its indicated use.

The decision by the Texas judge on the abortion pill received widespread reactions.
US President Joe Biden declared that his government would challenge the Texas judge’s decision to block the FDA’s approval of an abortion drug.

“My Administration will fight this ruling. The Department of Justice has already filed an appeal and will seek an immediate stay of the decision. But let’s be clear – the only way to stop those who are committed to taking away women’s rights and freedoms in every state is to elect a Congress who will pass a law restoring Roe versus Wade,” Biden said in a written statement.