Georgia AG backs lawsuit seeking to block abortion pill
Georgia’s attorney general has added his name to an amicus brief in a Texas court case that could determine the future of access to medication abortion.
A federal court is considering the lawsuit by an anti-abortion group seeking to block approval of the drug that was granted by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2000.
The FDA approved the use of the medication mifepristone, along with another one called misoprostol, to end a pregnancy up to 10 weeks gestation.
Today, more than half of all abortions in the country are medication abortions.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has long pushed for expanded access to the drugs.
ACOG, the American Medical Association, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and nine other medical organizations also submitted an amicus brief in the case, arguing there is overwhelming evidence demonstrating mifepristone is safe and effective.
Recently, the FDA ended a restriction on obtaining the medication at retail pharmacies that complete a certification process. The rule change would likely not supersede laws in states with abortion bans.
The abortion medication has also been available by mail.
In their legal brief, Attorney General Chris Carr and 21 other Republican state AGs argue the FDA’s approval of mifepristone goes against the public interest.
They also say it threatens to undermine state enforcement of abortion laws.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas is expected to issue a decision in the case soon.
Meanwhile, the Georgia Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in late March in the state’s appeal of Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney’s ruling on Georgia’s law banning abortions at around six weeks of pregnancy.
McBurney had blocked the six-week law in November.
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