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By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association
Photo: Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, East County Magazine Zoom Interview (2021)
August 19, 2023 (San Diego) -- Rep. Sara Jacobs on Wednesday called the conservative 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling against access to the abortion drug mifepristone a “gross attack on our bodies and freedom.”
Three judges in Louisiana — two appointed during Donald Trump’s presidency — ruled that it was unlawful for the Food and Drug Administration to allow mifepristone to be taken later in pregnancy, be mailed directly to patients and be prescribed by a medical professional other than a doctor.
Mifepristone has been legal since 2000 and in 2016 the FDA decided to allow mifepristone to be used to 10 weeks of pregnancy, up from seven weeks.
“Right-wing Republicans know they can’t win at the ballot box so they’ve chosen to weaponize the courts and ignore decades of precedent and science to enact their dystopian, anti-abortion agenda,” said Jacobs, who represents central San Diego County.
“While mifepristone remains safe, effective, and for now widely available, this is the latest gross attack on our bodies and our freedom. We won’t stop fighting for our fundamental rights and for abortion access to be legal, affordable, accessible, and stigma-free for everyone,” she said.
The judges in Louisiana were reviewing an order in April by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, Texas, to completely ban the use of mifepristone. While it was a preliminary ruling that applied while the case was pending, Kacsmaryk said he was ultimately likely to make it permanent.
But neither ruling will not take effect until the Supreme Court reviews them, which could occur in its upcoming term from October to June.
California has been buying up supplies of the drug in case it is ultimately banned.
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