LANSING, Mich. — It’s another legal limbo like we saw last summer here in Michigan. A judge in Texas has ruled to invalidate the FDA approval of Mifepristone, one part of a typically two-part medication abortion regimen.
RELATED | Access to abortion pill threatened amid competing rulings
FOX 47 News has responses from both sides of the issue here at home.
“We should all be outraged," said Paula Thornton Greer, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Michigan. "Outraged that that one judge can just unilaterally reject medical evidence and overrule the FDA's approval of a medication that has been safely and effectively used for more than two decades.”
Another hotly debated issue has once again rekindled the abortion debate.
“The Texas ruling, I think, was very, very good," said Genevieve Marnon, legislative director of Right to Life Michigan. "I think that he did his research. He took in a lot of information.”
Let’s break down the argument from Texas. Mifepristone is an FDA-approved drug typically used with Misoprostol to induce an abortion and expel any leftover tissue.
“I want to note as well that it's also used in miscarriage management," said Thornton Greer.
If a miscarriage happens naturally but doesn’t fully complete, any leftover tissue can lead to problems like infection. Mifepristone is used in cases like that. The two-part regimen accounts for about half of all abortions in the US, which could mean major implications for abortion care.
“Right now, the abortion pill is still available, but we don't know what's going to happen in the next coming days," said Marnon.
Mifepristone and abortion as a whole is still available in Michigan and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has promised to protect abortion rights.
“Mifepristone gives people the freedom to choose when or how to start a family. If [Friday's] ruling takes effect, over 64 million Americans, including millions of Michiganders, may effectively be prevented from accessing the drug," said Whitmer in a statement. “Despite this ruling, I want to be clear: abortion, including medication abortion, remains safe and legal in the state of Michigan."
Michigan Sen. Gary Peters called the ruling "dangerous and cruel."
The Biden administration appealed the Texas judge's ruling Monday and called for a stay.
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