A Texas court ruling just threatened abortion pill access nationwide
Judge Kacsmaryk attempted to keep oral arguments for the case secret. | Photo by Moises Avila / AFP via Getty Images
A Texas judge ruled on Friday that the Food and Drug Administration improperly approved the abortion-facilitating pill mifepristone more than 20 years ago, just as a Washington state judge issued a directly conflicting ruling — setting up a likely Supreme Court fight and potentially threatening nationwide access to reproductive healthcare.
In Texas, District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk issued a long-awaited decision on a suit from the Alliance Defending Freedom, which filed on behalf of antiabortion medical groups and doctors against the FDA. Kacsmaryk — nominated by former President Donald Trump — ruled largely in the group’s favor. While he didn’t outright reverse the FDA’s decision, he issued a stay that’s supposed to revert mifepristone…
