US abortion pill approved with restrictions

ALBAWABA- Abortion pill mifepristone was blocked from being sent to patients through the mail as a federal appeals court rolled back steps the United States government took to ease access in recent years.

The ruling, made late Wednesday, could decide access to the drug nationwide, even in states where abortion is legal. The decision partially blocked a lower court's ruling that would have suspended the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of the drug.

Abortion rights advocates are not satisfied with the ruling. Even though the court did not side with conservative plaintiffs and force production of mifepristone to stop, it reimposed tough restrictions on access to the drug.

"This is not a win," said Kirsten Moore, director of the Expanding Medication Abortion Access (EMMAA) Project, a group dedicated to ensuring access to the abortion pill. "They rolled back the clock to 2000. That's not winning, especially in a post-Dobbs world."

Opponents of abortion rights said they were pleased with the decision because it paves the way for approval of the drug to be suspended.

“We are very encouraged by this landmark win for women and girls. The Court recognized that the abortion pill is dangerous and rolled back Biden’s reckless mail-order abortion scheme," said Katie Daniel, the state policy director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America."

In their lawsuit, the abortion opponents claim that mifepristone is unsafe, causing "cramping, heavy bleeding and severe pain."

The claim is disputed by the FDA and mainstream medical organizations. They say that bleeding and cramping are normal and a sign that the pregnancy tissue is being expelled. They cite years of scientific studies that show that serious complications are rare, resulting in less than 1 percent of patients needing hospitalization.