Mifepristone, the abortion pill known as RU 486. (Photo by James Leynse/Corbis via Getty Images) AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — A federal judge in Texas will hear arguments Wednesday in a high-stakes court case that could threaten access to abortion medication and blunt the authority of U.S.
drug regulators.Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk is weighing a lawsuit from Christian conservatives aimed at overturning the Food and Drug Administration’s more than 2-decade-old approval of the abortion pill mifepristone.
The drug, when used with a second pill, has become the most common method of abortion in the U.S.There is essentially no precedent for a lone judge overruling the scientific decisions of the FDA.
And legal experts have warned of far-reaching consequences if judges begin second-guessing FDA decisions on drug safety and effectiveness.PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Abortion pill could be pulled off market by Texas lawsuitWednesday’s hearing is the first in the case, which is being intensely tracked by groups on both sides of the abortion issue after last year’s reversal of Roe v.