Washington, DC — Today, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to sharply restrict mifepristone access nationwide. Not only does the case threaten safe and legal abortion access, but it lays the groundwork for any judge to be able to overrule the evidence-based and scientific FDA medication approval process. The draconian restrictions won’t take effect until the Supreme Court weighs in, but if it stands, millions of patients will suffer. The ruling will be most detrimental for women of color, people living in rural areas, and poorer Americans who face the steepest barriers to accessing care.
Watch Protect Our Care’s event with legal and public health experts discussing the dangers of Judge Kacsmaryk’s radical ruling in the Fifth Circuit from last spring here. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement:
“This case remains a grave threat — not only to women’s health care but the entire U.S. drug approval process. Safe, effective medications could be ripped away by politically motivated lawsuits. The consequences of this ruling cannot be overstated, and millions of people will suffer unless this decision is reversed by the Supreme Court. Now all eyes are on the Supreme Court to put ideology aside and follow the law by overturning the Fifth Circuit’s erroneous and dangerous ruling.”