CNBC – Access to the abortion pill mifepristone (RU-486) has become a major legal battleground in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling that overturned federal abortion rights last June.
GenBioPro argues that FDA regulations on the abortion pill preempt West Virginia’s state law that basically bans the medication.
Anti-abortion activists, on the other hand, are pushing to have mifepristone completely pulled from the U.S. market through a lawsuit in Texas.
Abortion pill manufacturer GenBioPro on Wednesday sued to overturn West Virginia’s ban on abortion because it restricts access to a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in West Virginia’s southern district, argues that FDA regulations on medications such as the abortion pill preempt state law under the U.S. Constitution.
Access to the pill, called mifepristone, has become a major legal battleground in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling that overturned federal abortion rights last June. A dozen states, including West Virginia, have implemented near total abortion bans that basically outlaw the use of mifepristone.
The FDA approved mifepristone more than 20 years ago as a safe and effective method to terminate an early pregnancy, though the agency imposed restrictions on how the pill was distributed and administered.
Mifepristone, when used in combination with misoprostol, is the most common way to end a pregnancy in the U.S., accounting for about half of all abortions nationwide in 2020.
The FDA has eased many of its restrictions to expand access to mifepristone. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the agency allowed patients to receive the pill by mail. Earlier this month, the FDA allowed retail pharmacies to start dispensing mifepristone for the first time so long as they get certified to do so … READ MORE.
If abortion pills are safe, why are they listed on the National Capital Poison Center website?
This Really Happened – National Capital Poison Center
The most common regimen used for medication abortions includes a combination of 2 different medications, mifepristone (RU-486) and misoprostol (Cytotec), taken under the supervision of a physician. Sometimes when patients cannot afford or have a reason they cannot take RU-486, misoprostol is used alone.
Case #1 – “Her heart stopped and she died”:
A teenager took an overdose of misoprostol to end her pregnancy. A day later, she started vomiting blood. She developed organ failure and underwent an operation where doctors discovered severe damage to her stomach. Despite aggressive treatment, her heart stopped and she died.
Case #2 – “Put them in her vagina”:
A 25-year-old woman took an overdose of misoprostol by swallowing tablets and putting them in her vagina. She developed a fever and became confused. Uterine contractions caused a miscarriage, but the woman made a full recovery.
Case #3 – “received a blood transfusion and needed a surgical procedure”:
A 42-year-old woman took RU-486 and misoprostol for a medical abortion. She experienced severe cramping and bleeding and fainted in the bathroom. She was taken to the emergency department where she continued to have significant bleeding and additional fainting episodes. She received a blood transfusion and needed a surgical procedure but made a full recovery.
