Nancy Northup: Mifepristone opinion out of TX ‘has zero basis in law and fact’
Center President & CEO discusses a Texas court's attempt to block FDA approval of mifepristone with Ali Velshi on MSNBC.
In a devastating blow to abortion access across the United States, on April 7 a federal court attempted to block the long-standing FDA approval of mifepristone, a drug used in medication abortion. Medication abortion is the most commonly used method of abortion in the U.S., accounting for more than half of all abortions. If allowed to take effect, the ruling could gravely limit access to abortion care across the country—including in states where abortion is protected.
Nancy Northup, President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, discussed the impact of the decision with Ali Velshi on MSNBC. Northup noted that the Department of Justice plans to appeal the ruling, which she said “has zero basis in law and fact.” She pointed out that since the FDA’s initial approval of mifepristone in 2000, people in the U.S. have been using it to manage abortions safely for more than 20 years.
“The plaintiffs in this case—which are anti-abortion doctors and organizations—they have no standing, which in court means that you have some interest that’s really at stake beyond a general opinion about something,” Northup explained. “This should have been thrown out to begin with on standing, not to mention the fact that the underlying claim is wrong. The law and the fact and the evidence supports the approval of mifepristone on the market.”
Northup said that while the ruling was evidently influenced by Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s personal bias, it does not reflect the opinions of the American public, who have voted to protect abortion rights in many states.
“This one judge, and this entire coordinated campaign to get a nationwide abortion ban, is completely at odds with the views of the American public,” Northup said.
Watch the clip here:
