The case filed by abortion opponents who helped challenge Roe v. Wade seeks to reverse a decades-old approval by the Food and Drug Administration.Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Calgary Herald, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails or any newsletter. Postmedia Network Inc.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk has not indicated exactly when or how he will rule, but groups like Timmaraju’s have been preparing for a possible decision shortly after a Feb. 24 filing deadline. There is scant precedent for a lone judge overruling the FDA’s scientific decisions. A swift appeal of any ruling is likely.
They argue the FDA overstepped its authority in approving mifepristone by using an accelerated review process reserved for drugs to treat “serious or life-threatening illnesses.” Halting access to the drug more than 20 years after approval would be “extraordinary and unprecedented,” federal attorneys stated in a legal filing.Article content
Medication abortion accounted for over half of abortions before Roe v. Wade was overturned, according to research from the Guttmacher Institute. It’s grown more important since then, said Elizabeth Nash, state policy analyst for the science-based research group that supports abortion rights.Article content
Misoprostol, a drug also used to treat stomach ulcers, is taken 24 to 48 hours later. It causes the uterus to cramp and contract, causing bleeding and expelling pregnancy tissue. The combination has been shown to be more than 95% effective in ending pregnancies up to 10 weeks.