Democrat Lawmakers Gain a GOP Ally in Battle Over Abortion Pill

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Two Democrat lawmakers and one Republican have urged the Biden administration to ignore a court ruling that blocked the use of the drug mifepristone, which is commonly used to induce abortion in the early stages of pregnancy.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) issued a statement on April 7โ€”the same day a federal judge in Texas banned the use of the abortion pillโ€”saying the lawmaker believes the Food and Drug Administration has the authority to ignore the ruling.

โ€œThere is no way this decision has a basis in law,โ€ Wyden said of the decision by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk. โ€œIt is instead rooted in conservativesโ€™ dangerous and undemocratic takeover of our countryโ€™s institutions.โ€

Kacsmaryk had ruled that FDA approval of the drug more than 20 years ago was invalid because it was improperly done.

โ€œHere, F.D.A. acquiesced on its legitimate safety concernsโ€”in violation of its statutory dutyโ€”based on plainly unsound reasoning and studies that did not support its conclusions,โ€ Kacsmaryk wrote.

Wyden gained an unlikely ally in Rep. Nancy Mace (R-Pa.), who affirmed in a statement to the press on May 10 that the FDA should ignore the judgeโ€™s order.

โ€œI agree with ignoring it at this point,โ€ Mace said in a televised interview. โ€œThere are other lawsuits that are happening right now and other states as well over this issue.โ€

Mace, who identifies herself as pro-life, believes her party should respect the wishes of the majority of Americans who favor allowing abortion under some circumstances.

โ€œThis is an issue that Republicans have been largely on the wrong side of, we have over the last nine months not shown compassion towards women,โ€ Mace said.

โ€œ[In] the state of South Carolina, just a few weeks ago, we had some folks in the state legislature that essentially wanted to execute women who had abortions.

โ€œSo, weโ€™ve got some extreme views on this issue, but 90 percent of America is somewhere in the middle.

โ€œAnd I think that 90 percent would be okay with listening to the FDA rather than a judge who used an old law that was determined unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.โ€

Kacsmaryk stayed his ruling for one week to give the Department of Justice an opportunity to appeal the ruling, but that did not satisfy Wyden and some other lawmakers.

โ€œNo matter what happens in seven days, I believe the Food and Drug Administration has the authority to ignore this ruling, which is why Iโ€™m again calling on President Biden and the FDA to do just that.

โ€œThe FDA, doctors, and pharmacies can and must go about their jobs like nothing has changed and keep mifepristone accessible to women across America.

โ€œIf they donโ€™t, the consequences of banning the most common method of abortion in every single state will be devastating,โ€ Wyden wrote.

Further confusing the legal landscape, a federal judge in Washington State issued a ruling the same day in another case, contradicting Kacsmarykโ€™s ruling by ordering the FDA to continue making the drug available in the states involved in the Washington lawsuit.

In view of that confusion, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) also called on the Biden administration to ignore the Texas ruling.

โ€œThe administration has an enforcement discretion, especially in light of a contradictory ruling coming out of Washington,โ€ she said.

The DOJ has said it will appeal the Texas ruling.

Mace appears to be the lone GOP lawmaker voicing support for the FDAโ€™s approval of mifepristone at this point. Others strongly disagree with the idea that the administration can disregard a federal court order.

If the Biden administration ignores the ruling, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) said in a televised interview, โ€œThen weโ€™re going to have a problem. And it may come to a point where House Republicans on the appropriations side will have to defund FDA programs that donโ€™t make sense.โ€

Byย Lawrence Wilson

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