A federal judge appointed by former President Donald Trump delivered a huge legal victory to conservatives and pro-lifers when he blocked the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of an abortion pill, according to The Federalist Papers. The ruling came last week when U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk shut down a 22-year process to approve the drug called mifepristone, citing safety concerns that were ignored throughout.
The approval was ruled unlawful following a lawsuit filed by physicians and medical associations which argued that the FDA failed women when it sought to approve chemical abortions by bypassing typical safety requirements that accompany the process, according to CBS News.
Judge Kacsmaryk agreed and argued that it is likely the suit will succeed on merit. He then stated that the federal agency manipulated data that did not support its conclusions, ignored 16 years of petitioning that highlighted the lack of safety the pill posed to women, and succumbed to political pressure that resulted in violating its duty to ensure they studied its effects.
Mifepristone is reportedly a drug that is taken in two steps. The pill induces abortions and is used with misoprostol, which “empties the uterus.” It is also taken by women who miscarry or have Cushing syndrome, which occurs when the body is exposed to too much hormone cortisol.
Abortion has always been a contentious topic in the country but has recently sparked widespread controversy when the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade in 2022. The Court ruled in Jackson v. Women’s Health Organization that abortion is not a Constitutional right and does not follow any traditional precedent found in the history of the country.
Conservatives argue that while abortion has been a win for the pro-life movement, the issue also cost them the 2022 midterm elections.
