MESA, AZ — Many Arizonans and healthcare providers across the country are confused and in limbo, as they wait for a decision on a widely-used abortion drug.
It’s another fight on the abortion front. Abortion medication mifepristone is now in limbo as a Texas federal judge ordered a hold on it on Friday, saying the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not adequately review the drug’s safety.
Then, on the same day, a judge in Washington issued a competing rule.
Those who are anti-abortion say this is a step in the right direction for them.
“The most important thing for people, for the pro-life community, is to save the lives of babies and their mothers. This drug was recklessly FDA-approved,” said Lori Zee Gray, a board member of the Arizona Life Coalition.
Gray tells ABC15 she had an abortion when she was 17, saying that the abortion ended up leaving her unable to have kids and left her “mentally and spiritually and emotionally pretty bad off.”
The FDA said mifepristone is safe, as it’s been approved for more than two decades and has been widely used.
“This case is an ideologically motivated attack on Mifeprex with no true intent to protect our patients but simply to further limit access to abortion care,” said Dr. Jill Gibson, the medical director for Planned Parenthood Arizona.
Mifeprex is the name brand of mifepristone. This is the first drug that’s taken for a medication abortion which blocks a hormone that’s needed for a pregnancy to continue.
There’s a second medication called misoprostol that then helps with the abortion process.
The first drug is the only one in limbo and Planned Parenthood says it’s been planning ahead in case they can’t use it.
“The transition to the misoprostol-only protocol will be seamless on our patients. We’ve been doing a lot of work operationally to make sure that we have the proper medications and we have all the information to provide to our patients so they can make their own best decision,” said Brittany Fonteno, the president, and CEO of Planned Parenthood Arizona.
Gibson said it is still safe for patients to use only the second medication, though, it is not as effective for the combined regimen.
“Symptoms may be unnecessarily prolonged for patients,” Gibson said. “This may mean patients may need a higher number of additional care after their abortion by pill and will just continue to place additional and sometimes insurmountable barriers in front of them.”
The Biden Administration asked an appeals court to halt the Texas judge’s ruling. A decision could be made in a day, if it doesn’t, it could be a win for those who are anti-abortion.
“I happen to know that women deserve better than abortion. Babies deserve to live. That’s why we fight so hard for the lives of the unborn and their moms,” Gray said.
In the meantime, Planned Parenthood says it is preparing patients in case there is a change.
