The manufacturer of a generic abortion pill is currently in litigation with the FDA
Report on the fight against abortion pill mifepristone: Roxanne Jones’s perspective on abortion and women in the U.S.
Roxanne Jones, who was the founding editor of ESPN The Magazine, has worked as a producer, reporter and editor at several newspapers. Jones is co-author of “Say it Loud: An Illustrated History of the Black Athlete.” She talks politics, sports and culture on Philadelphia’s 900AM. The views she expresses here are hers alone. Read more opinion on CNN.
We do not know how the legal fight over medication abortion will unfold. But women across the nation – in blue and red states alike – are watching. The governor of Florida signed a legislation last week that aims to criminalize reproductive care providers. It is unlikely that men will be banned from making health care decisions about their own bodies because of the law.
Several women that I spoke to recently said that they would use a secret meet-up with a stranger to buy medicine from me on the black market. I didn’t have to order this medication online, and I don’t think I will have to unless something changes in the US.
The manufacturer of a generic form of the abortion pill mifepristone is suing the Food and Drug Administration in an effort to preserve access as federal litigation threatens to overturn the FDA’s approval of the drug.
The FDA should not allow access to generic mifepristone as prescribed by a female doctor: A lawsuit filed in Maryland requesting the U.S. Supreme Court to preserve status quo
A few years ago my ob-gyn told me that I had a miscarriage after I visited with her about my bleeding and rapid decline in blood pressure.
For many women, being prescribed mifepristone is part of their routine medical care. Not so in my case: As my doctor explained, I was facing a dire medical emergency. I was grateful for the medication that saved my life.
In the Black community, women are usually taught to keep their burdens hidden even after something as devastating as pregnancy loss. We are conditioned to do as I did back then, and keep it moving as we try to outrun the long list of statistics that tell us our lives are in danger from every direction, whether it be from health care risks to societal injustices or other stressors.
After the US Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to intervene, Justice Samuel Alito issued a temporary order to preserve the status quo, ensuring access to the drug while giving the justices more time to study the issue.
In a lawsuit filed today in Maryland, the drug manufacturer GenBioPro is asking the FDA not to take any action that could disrupt access to the pills. GenBioPro says revoking the FDA approval of generic mifepristone would cause “catastrophic harm” to the company, and to doctors and patients who rely on the drug.
A temporary stay from the U.S. Supreme Court preserving status-quo access to mifepristone expires at 11:59 p.m. ET today unless the court intervenes. If the stay expires, an order from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals would take effect and impose multiple restrictions, including prohibiting the pills from being distributed by mail.
GenBioPro objected to the FDA’s interpretation and is now seeking to have the FDA to preserve access. About two-thirds of the drug used in the United States is generic, according to the company.
According to a statement from a legal advocate, the outcome of the case could be important for other drugs.
“There are industry wide implications if far-right external interest groupsare able to interfere with drug availability in the country without the legal and regulatory protections provided by Congress,” Perryman said. Few companies would be offered incentives to bring essential medications to market if this were to be the case.
