U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, has invalidated the FDA’s two-decade-old approval of mifepristone, part of a drug regimen used in medication abortion. The order will take effect on April 14, unless an appeals court or the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes.
In Washington state, U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice, appointed by former President Barack Obama, directed the FDA not to make any changes that would restrict access to the drug in 17 states and the District of Columbia, where Democrats sued to protect its availability.
The conflicting rulings are all but assured to wind up before the Supreme Court.
KHN senior correspondent Sarah Varney joined PBS NewsHour’s Ali Rogin to discuss the language in both decisions and what they portend for the future of abortion rights in the United States.
By Sarah Varney, KFF Health NewsKaiser Health News is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
