Dueling Court Rulings Put State of Mifepristone in Limbo

  • Apr 13, 2023

    Access to the abortion pill mifepristone is in limbo following two contradictory court rulings. On April 7, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ordered the FDA to suspend its approval of mifepristone, which the agency first issued in 2000. The judge gave the Biden administration seven days to appeal.

    On April 10, the Dept. of Justice asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to block the ruling and keep the drug on the market as litigation plays out. On April 12, the court ruled that mifepristone will remain available for now but with new restrictions, including a requirement for in-person doctor visits to obtain the drug. The Biden administration then responded that it would immediately seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court to restore full access to mifepristone.

    Meanwhile, states including New York, Massachusetts, California and Washington are rushing to stockpile abortion pills.

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  • Jinghong Chen

    Jinghong has been producing infographics and data stories on employer-sponsored insurance, public health insurance programs and prescription drug coverage for AIS Health’s Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits since 2018. She also manages AIS Health’s annual executive compensation database for top insurers and Blue Cross and Blue Shield affiliates. Before joining AIS Health, she interned at WBEZ, Al Jazeera English and The New York Times Chinese. She graduated from Missouri School of Journalism with a focus on data journalism and international reporting.

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