US Court Permits Abortion Drug for Now with Restrictions

US Court Permits Abortion¹ Drug for Now with Restrictions³

A federal appeals court ruled late Wednesday that the abortion drug mifepristone may still be used in the United States for now with some restrictions.

Abortion is a process that ends a woman's pregnancy⁴.

One restriction² requires visiting a doctor in-person to receive the drug. Another restriction limits the drug's use to the first seven weeks of pregnancy, down from the current 10 weeks.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug Mifepristone 23 years ago. In 2016, the agency expanded the use to 10 weeks and permitted sending it to women by mail. Medical experts say millions of women have used the drug to end their pregnancies⁵ in combination with a second drug, misoprostol.

The appeals court decision narrowed a ruling by a lower court judge in Texas. That ruling suspended the FDA's approval of the drug. Preventing the drug from being sent by mail means there is a limit on the most used method of abortion in the U.S.

Alliance Defending Freedom, the group that brought the Texas legal case against the drug, called the federal appeals court decision a "victory." The group was also involved in the U.S. Supreme⁶ Court decision overturning Roe⁷ v. Wade⁸ to end the constitutional right to abortion last year.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that the Biden administration "strongly disagrees" with the appeals court decision.

"We will be seeking emergency relief from the Supreme Court to defend the FDA's scientific judgment⁹ and protect Americans' access to safe and effective reproductive care," he said.

Competing decisions

The latest abortion dispute started last Friday with conflicting court decisions in the states of Texas and Oregon.

In Texas, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ordered a hold on FDA approval of mifepristone last Friday. The order came after anti-abortion groups claimed that the FDA used an improper¹⁰ process when it approved mifepristone in 2000. They said the agency did not fully¹¹ consider the drug's safety when used by girls under the age of 18 to end a pregnancy.

Kacsmaryk agreed with the anti-abortion groups. He wrote that the FDA ignored safety concerns when it approved mifepristone.

His order also agreed with anti-abortion groups who said that a 19th-century law could be used to block sending abortion drugs through the mail. The Comstock Act was passed in 1873. It banned mailing birth control methods and things that could be used in an abortion. Since then, courts have narrowed the law.

Some legal experts say the law has not been enforced since the 1930s. But anti-abortion groups turned to the law after the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision.

In Oregon, U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice issued a different ruling. He ordered federal officials not to make any changes that would restrict the use of mifepristone.

The ruling came from a legal action brought by a group of 17 Democratic Party-led states seeking to expand availability of abortion drugs. States led by Democratic Party governors are buying up drugs used in abortions¹² to guarantee their availability.

On Monday, the Justice Department appealed Kacsmaryk's ruling. Also, more than 300 drug company officials signed an open letter calling for the Texas ruling to be struck down. They said the ruling limits the FDA's power and ignores years of scientific evidence of the drug's safety.

What's next?

Alliance Defending Freedom said in a call with the media early Thursday that it did not plan to ask the Supreme Court to become involved at this point.

It remains¹³ unclear if the Supreme Court will take the case. But the appeal of Kacsmaryk's earlier ruling will continue in the appeals court whether or not all or part of it remains in effect.

Words in This Story

prevail –v. to defeat an opponent

improper –adj. not correct

relief –n. (legal) assistance asked of a court of law

access –n. the ability to get something; the availability of something

1 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

2 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

4 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

5 pregnancies   

怀孕，妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象，战时人口正该补充。
• She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。

6 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

7 roe   

n.鱼卵；獐鹿

参考例句：

• We will serve smoked cod's roe at the dinner.宴会上我们将上一道熏鳕鱼子。
• I'll scramble some eggs with roe?我用鱼籽炒几个鸡蛋好吗？

8 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

9 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

10 improper   

adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的

参考例句：

• Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
• Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 abortions   

n.小产( abortion的名词复数 )；小产胎儿；（计划）等中止或夭折；败育

参考例句：

• The Venerable Master: By not having abortions, by not killing living beings. 上人：不堕胎、不杀生。 来自互联网
• Conclusion Chromosome abnormality is one of the causes of spontaneous abortions. 结论：染色体异常是导致反复自然流产的原因之一。 来自互联网

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。