Walgreens’ supplier of abortion pills said it would not distribute the drug in 31 states
VoxNov 18, 2022
White House, Dept. of Justice Plan Response to Abortion Pill Ruling
Image copyright: Reuters [via The Washington Post]
The Facts
On Monday, the US Dept. of Justice (DOJ) initiated a request in a federal appeals court to block last week's ruling from a Texas federal judge that would restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone.
This comes as US Sec. of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra said Sunday that "everything is on the table," responding to a Texas federal judge’s ruling to suspend the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
This is one of the most lawless acts by a federal judge in US history. This decision not only breaches the scope of the judiciary but also has the potential to impose "fetal personhood" laws nationwide, effectively banning abortions even in states that uphold a woman's right to reproductive autonomy. This is unconstitutional, immoral, and must be overturned.
Republican narrative
Critics of this decision are purposefully ignoring the procedural arguments made in Judge Kacsmaryk's ruling. He isn't banning the abortion pill for political reasons but rather due to the FDA's failure 20 years ago to test the drug on girls under 18 or evaluate the psychological or long-term medical consequences of the pill. The FDA's approval was politically motivated, not Judge Kacsmaryk's legal decision.