SPOKANE, Wash. — Mifepristone is used in more than half of abortions nationwide, but that drug's FDA approval is now in the middle of a federal legal battle.
Friday U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, ordered a hold on federal approval of mifepristone in a decision that overruled decades of scientific approval. But that decision came at nearly same time that U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice, an Obama appointee, essentially ordered the opposite and directed U.S. authorities not to make any changes that would restrict access to the drug in at least 17 states where Democrats sued in an effort to protect availability.
"How can we allow an unelected judge to take that right to reproductive freedom away from people in Washington State?" said Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Kent) Monday during a discussion on the issue in Olympia.
"I find it ironic that yesterday I celebrated with millions of Christians across the globe life, eternal life. Today we're talking about a pill that's designed to end 30,000 lives within the womb," said Brad Payne from the Family Policy Institute of Washington.
That battle is having an impact in Washington state, especially with the uncertainty over what those legal rulings mean for abortion access.
"Yeah, a lot of it remains unclear unfortunately. Just with two separate federal rulings," said Sarah Dixit, public affairs manager for Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho.
Dixit says one thing is clear: Planned Parenthood can continue providing medical abortions with mifepristone for now.
"What we know right now is the approval of mifepristone remains intact," Dixit said.
The Department of Justice is appealing the ruling in Texas and the debate could make it all the way to the Supreme Court. Dixit says there are options for people looking for an abortion, even if mifepristone is ultimately banned.
"If it goes all the way up to being banned and mifepristone has its FDA approval removed, we can continue to provide medication abortions through misoprostol only," Dixit said.
That's the second drug in the combination used in medication abortions. Planned Parenthood says misopristol-only abortions are 85-95% effective.
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