A Texas Judge has taken a firm stance against the use of Mifepristone, an abortion pill. At the same time, a Washington Judge has issued a ruling in opposition. With abortion becoming a prominent discussion in Florida, State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani (D) has issued a response to the abortion pill ruling.
GOP lawmakers have pursued abortion rights since the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade. The Florida legislature is now set on voting to ban abortion after 6 weeks. For cases involving rape, incest, or human trafficking, the current 15-week ban would remain in place.
Now, Judge Kacsmaryk from Texas has ruled to ban the abortion pill Mifpristone, and Rep. Eskamani is calling for the ruling to be reversed by the higher courts, citing that the Judge has “misinterpreted our laws and FDA’s review of the scientific evidence for his own political ideology.”
Our statement. https://t.co/hRCC8TlxOa
— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani 🔨 (@AnnaForFlorida) April 7, 2023
“Mifepristone is a safe, effective FDA-approved medication used for early abortion,” explained Eskamani in a statement, citing that “in addition to a 20+ year track record of use here in the U.S., the medication’s safety is documented in more than 100 peer-reviewed articles.” Eskamani also commented that “leading medical and scientific organizations recognize it as safe and effective, including the AMA, ACOG, and AAFP,” adding that the pill “is now used in more than half of all abortions, and this decision will have devastating impacts.”
In response to the Texas Judge’s ruling, Eskamani is now calling on the manufacturer of the pill and on the FDA to “move urgently to ensure access to mifepristone while it seeks to comply with a baseless court order and re-confirm its safety assessment.”
“The FDA has the authority to allow unapproved drugs to remain on the market for serious medical conditions for which there is no FDA-approved drug available,” she informed, noting that the FDA needs to “use its enforcement discretion to allow mifepristone to remain on the market as an unapproved drug based on its 22+ year track record and be clear publicly that it is doing so.”
Eskamani is a staunch supporter of abortion rights, affirming that lawmakers should “not bend or buckle under pressure from the far right who intends to take us back in time and strip us of our freedoms.”
