The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said too much time has elapsed to revisit the Food and Drug Administration’s original 2000 certification of the pill, mifepristone.
The ruling is on hold under a previous order of the Supreme Court, which now may be asked to take the case. Pro-life activists contend that medication abortions are inherently risky and leave women without the kind of care they would get for an in-person procedure. Officials pointed to a separate district court in Washington state that upheld the FDA’s decisions on mifepristone.
The Trump appointee detailed a series of previous bungles by the FDA in urging a strict adherence to federal laws governing the approval of medications.