The US administration headed by Joe Biden asked the Supreme Court on Friday to urgently intervene to preserve the current use of the abortion pill, before the restrictions ordered by the court take effect.
The outcome of the judicial battle is uncertain, with the Supreme Court dominated by conservative judges.
A federal court ruled Wednesday that the abortion pill mifepristone can still be used for now, but reduced the period of pregnancy in which it can be taken and said it cannot be distributed by mail order.
At the root of the legal battle is the decision, last week, by a Texas trial judge known for his ultra-conservative views, which completely blocked the approval of mifepristone by the Texas Food and Drug Administration. the United States (FDA).
Despite partially overturning the Texas judge’s decision, the federal court limited the use of mifepristone to seven weeks of pregnancy instead of 10.
Combined with another medication, this pill is used in more than half of all abortions in the United States, and more than five million Americans have taken it since it was approved by the FDA more than 20 years ago.
If it goes into effect, the federal court decision announced Wednesday will have “enormous consequences for the pharmaceutical industry, for women who need the drug, and for the FDA’s ability to exercise its regulatory authority,” the US government argued. .
The Biden administration is asking for a stay of the court decision, so that the current use of the abortion pill is maintained, pending further examination of this file. Otherwise, the restrictions will take effect from Saturday, creating “regulatory chaos.”
One of the two companies that market mifepristone in the United States, the Danco laboratory, also requested the intervention of the Supreme Court.
Source: TSF
