Editorial: Abortion opponents are trying to revoke FDA approval of a drug. That’s scary
Los Angeles TimesMar 08, 2023
US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk is set to hear arguments on Wednesday over whether mifepristone, an abortion pill, should be banned nationwide. The pill was granted approval over two decades ago.
When used with a second pill the drug is the most common method of abortion in the US. Kacsmaryk, an appointee of former-Pres. Trump, will hear arguments in Amarillo from the Alliance for Defending Freedom — a pro-life Christian group — on behalf of several anti-abortion groups and physicians.
The Texas lawsuit is weak, as mifepristone has been proven safe and effective for years. The drug, if anything, has been overly regulated since its approval in 2000. The attempt to ban its use highlights the extreme and dangerous lengths that anti-abortion activists will go to attack civil rights. In a post-Roe v. Wade world, such assaults on abortion will continue unless states and Congress take a stand.
While mifepristone has been advertised and sold to women as a fundamental need, in reality, the drug is a synthetic steroid that causes healthy reproductive systems to malfunction. With deadly infection risks and daunting adverse effects, it is little wonder that the Texas lawsuit is questioning the legitimacy of the FDA's approval.
There is a 4% chance that elective abortion will be banned nationally in the US before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.