Headline Roundup • April 13th, 2023
Appeals Court Preserves Partial Access to Abortion Pill Mifepristone
Summary from the AllSides News Team
A federal appeals court on Wednesday preserved access to the abortion pill mifepristone, but with new restrictions.
The Details: The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled 2-1 to make mifepristone available only for the first seven weeks of pregnancy, down from the current 10. The court's ruling also said the pill can't be distributed by mail.
For Context: Last Friday, a judge in Texas moved to temporarily stay the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, the most common method of abortion in the U.S. The appeals court ruling put part of that order on hold. Both the Biden administration and pro-life groups who supported the Texas judge's order could seek to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Texas ruling conflicts with a different judge ordering the FDA last week to maintain mifepristone access with no new restrictions in 17 states and Washington, D.C.
How the Media Covered It: Left- and center-rated sources covered the news as a top story Thursday. Right-rated sources covered it less prominently. Fox News (Right bias) said "some complications with" mifepristone use occur; left- and center-rated sources didn't mention this, and instead highlighted concerns about access to the pill.
Featured Coverage of this Story
REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
The abortion pill mifepristone will remain available in the United States for now but with significant restrictions, including a requirement for in-person doctor visits to obtain the drug, a federal appeals court ruled late on Wednesday.
The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put on hold part of last Friday's order by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, Texas, that had suspended the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the drug while he hears a lawsuit by anti-abortion groups seeking to ban it.
The Biden administration and the maker...
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AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File
A federal appeals court preserved access to the abortion pill mifepristone for now but reduced the period of pregnancy when the drug can be used and said it could not be dispensed by mail.
The ruling late Wednesday temporarily narrowed a decision by a lower court judge in Texas that had completely blocked the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the nation’s most commonly used method of abortion. The Texas order unsettled abortion providers less than a year after the reversal of Roe v. Wade already dramatically curtailed abortion access.
The case is likely to go...
AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
A federal appeals court in New Orleans has partially overturned a lower court’s decision blocking access to a popular abortion drug. The new decision keeps the drug, mifepristone, available for purchase to consumers with some restrictions.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled 2-1 Wednesday, just before midnight, to keep mifepristone available only to be dispensed up to seven weeks, not 10, and not by mail.
The drug, which is used in combination with a second drug, misoprostol, terminates pregnancies and was approved for use by the Food and Drug...
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