Abortion rights are still being questioned in the United States. After the Supreme Court’s decision last year authorizing states to legislate the right to abortion, the future of the abortion pill, authorized for more than 20 years in the territory, is in turn threatened this Wednesday, March 15 .
The decision to be made by Matthew Kacsmaryk, appointed federal judge in Texas by former US President Donald Trump, could have an impact as important as the revocation of the Roe vs. Wade judgment last June.
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The abortion pill lawsuit was strategically filed in Amarillo, Texas, where the only federal judge is known for his hostility to abortion. His decision could extend to the whole country: Amarillo’s case is a wake-up call for anyone who thought they weren’t concerned,” exposes Alexis McGill Johnson, president of the family planning organization Planned Parenthood. Medical abortion would be called into question in all states, even those authorizing abortion.
The abortion pill received its first charge last November, when a coalition of doctors and anti-abortion groups filed a lawsuit against the US Drug Administration (FDA). The plaintiffs accuse the FDA of having authorized mifepristone (RU 486), one of the two pills used for medical termination of pregnancy, twenty-three years ago. They accuse the FDA of choosing “politics rather than science”by approving a chemical product likely to create complications, and to have in the process “exceeded its prerogatives”.
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Pending the examination of the substantive arguments, they ask Judge Kacsmaryk to immediately suspend the authorization of mifepristone throughout the United States. Such a decision would be “devastating for women”had denounced ten days ago the spokesperson for the presidency, Karine Jean-Pierre.
The method authorized in the United States currently uses two drugs: mifepristone and misoprostole. If the decision to stop the sale of the pill containing mifepristone is implemented, this second pill could still be used by women wishing to have an abortion.
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Procedure which concerns 53% of women
Since the abortion pill became legal in the United States, more than 5.6 million women have had medical abortions. A small proportion, less than 1,500 women, had complications after using the drug, but no link has been established according to the FDA.
In the States where abortion is still legal, the medical route is the most used and concerns 53% of women. It is a procedure considered less intrusive and less costly than surgical abortions. Women who wish to have an abortion while in a state prohibiting it can currently travel to neighboring states to obtain an abortion pill. “In any case, I think it will be chaotic when the judge makes his decision”predicts Elisa Wells, founder of the Plan C abortion pill information network, to AFP.
In Florida, the last sanctuary of the southern United States, the battle for abortion promises to be difficult
Regardless of Judge Kacsmaryk’s decision, it may be appealed, reviewed by the New Orleans Federal Court of Appeals, also known for its conservatism. The case could end up in the Supreme Court of the United States – which is also predominantly conservative.
