Mifepristone: Joe Biden to fight judge’s ruling to halt approval of major abortion pill
US approval of the abortion medication mifepristone has been revoked, in a decision that could further disrupt reproductive healthcare for millions of people.
District Judge Matthew J Kacsmaryk, a Trump administration appointee in Amarillo, Texas, signed an injunction directing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to halt its approval while a lawsuit challenging its safety continues.
He sided, in part, with a conservative Christian group, Alliance Defending Freedom, who brought a lawsuit alleging the drug was not being regulated properly.
He did not go as far as the plaintiffs wanted, but he put a “stay” or hold on approval of the drug.
The judge’s decision does not come into effect for seven days. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice has announced it will appeal the ruling.
In a statement, President Joe Biden said: “My Administration will fight this ruling…
“Let’s be clear – the only way to stop those who are committed to taking away women’s rights and freedoms in every state is to elect a Congress who will pass a law restoring Roe versus Wade.
“Vice President Harris and I will continue to lead the fight to protect a woman’s right to an abortion, and to make her own decisions about her own health.”
Mifepristone blocks the hormone needed to maintain a pregnancy and has been approved in the US since 2000 for medical abortion and miscarriage management.
It is used safely in more than 60 countries worldwide and when taken together with the drug misoprostol, accounts for more than half of abortions in America.
Some abortion providers have said they will wait for guidance from the FDA before implementing the ban on mifepristone.
In a separate ruling in Washington state on Friday night, a judge said the FDA must keep medication abortion drugs available in at least 12 liberal states, creating a legal stand-off on the drug, which is likely to escalate to the Supreme Court.
‘Ludicrous’ to question drug ‘safer than ibuprofen’
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists say the Texas lawsuit disregards “decades of data” that support the efficacy of mifepristone, and is “exacerbating the current abortion care crisis in the US”.
Dr Razel Remen, an abortion provider in Michigan, told Sky News: “Mifepristone is literally one of the safest medications on the market – safer than ibuprofen, safer than Tylenol.
“People are more likely to have an adverse event happen to them driving in their car, or going through childbirth… The fact that it’s even being put into question is absolutely ludicrous.”
Angel, who is 24 and lives in Texas, had an abortion using the drug in February.
She was already a mother of three, and decided to terminate her recent pregnancy because she did not want any more children.
Angel says this attempted ban on mifepristone is “another attack on a woman’s right to choose”.
“You can do it at home… it’s convenient, it’s easy, it’s safe… I just don’t understand how something could be right for so many years. And then one day, all of a sudden, be wrong.”
Pills have become the new frontier in the battle for abortion access since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade – the constitutional right to abortion – last June.
Many people trying to access abortion in severely restricted states are ordering pills in the post, or travelling across state lines to pick them up.
As abortion clinics have already been shuttered in Texas, Angel had to acquire the pills through underground methods.
“It’s nearly impossible to get an abortion here,” she said. “You can’t go to the pharmacy. You can’t go to a Planned Parenthood. No clinics… nothing… If you find it, it’s like a blessing.”
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‘Outrageous injustice’
Now, with mifepristone access in jeopardy, pro-choice campaigners fear that getting an abortion in America has become even harder to navigate.
“What’s clear is that we need all forms of abortion in this country, and we need them all to be legal,” Elisa Wells, co-founder of the organisation Plan C, tells us.
Her organisation provides information and support to women searching for abortion access in every state.
“This injustice is being done by manipulating the court system to try and ban this medication… It’s really outrageous,” Ms Wells said.
“We are a modern democracy, and we need access to basic medical care in every part of our country, legally and without restriction – and that includes abortion.”
There are alternatives to mifepristone for those still trying to access medical abortion.
Some doctors have been anticipating the ruling, and plan to move to a misoprostol-only option. They say that method is still safe, but it has the potential for more side effects and increased discomfort.
This decision marks yet another controversial legal battle over abortion access in America, which has the potential to wind up back in the Supreme Court.
Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy has met Israel’s prime minister in an effort to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza before the president-elect takes office on 20 January.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed details of the meeting with Steve Witkoff on Saturday, adding that the head of the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency has been deployed to Qatar in order to “advance” talks.
It was not immediately clear when David Barnea would travel to Doha for the latest round of indirect discussions between Israel and Hamas.
Earlier on Saturday, an Israeli official said some progress had been made, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, to reach a deal in Gaza.
Ronen Bar (left), director of Israel’s security agency, and David Barnea (right), head of Mossad, at a ceremony marking the 7 October Hamas attack. File pic: Reuters
The mediators are making renewed efforts to halt fighting in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages held there before Mr Trump takes office.
A deal would also involve the release of some Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Families of Israeli hostages welcomed Mr Netanyahu’s decision to dispatch the officials, with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters describing it as a “historic opportunity”.
Mr Witkoff arrived in Doha on Friday and met the Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s foreign ministry said.
Egyptian and Qatari mediators received reassurances from Mr Witkoff that the US would continue to work towards a fair deal to end the war soon, Egyptian security sources said, though no further details were released.
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Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Families of the roughly 100 hostages still held in Gaza are pressing Mr Netanyahu to reach a deal to bring their loved ones home.
Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the area destroyed and gripped by a humanitarian crisis, with most of its population displaced.
Pope Francis has been honoured with America’s highest civilian award by President Joe Biden, who has described the pontiff as “a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world”.
It is the first time Mr Biden, 82, has given the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction during his four years in office.
In a statement, the White House said the award is “presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavours”.
Mr Biden had been scheduled to present the medal to Pope Francis, 88, in person on Saturday in Rome on what was to be the final overseas trip of his presidency. But the president cancelled his visit to monitor the California wildfires.
The White House said Mr Biden bestowed the award during a phone call in which they also discussed efforts to promote peace and alleviate suffering around the world.
President Joe Biden presented Bono with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Pic: AP
Denzel Washington was also recognised. Pic: AP
Michael J Fox was bestowed with the honour. Pic: AP
The award can be presented with or without distinction.
Mr Biden presented the medal of freedom – without distinction – on 5 January to several people including fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, humanitarian and U2 singer Bono, fashion designer Ralph Lauren and actors Michael J Fox and Denzel Washington.
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Mr Biden himself is a recipient of the award with distinction, recognised when he was vice president by then president Barack Obama in a surprise ceremony eight years ago.
Barack Obama presented Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction in 2017. File pic: AP
The citation for the pope’s honour said his “mission of serving the poor has never ceased”.
“A loving pastor, he joyfully answers children’s questions about God. A challenging teacher, he commands us to fight for peace and protect the planet. A welcoming leader, he reaches out to different faiths,” it added.
Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
The injured pair are now in Kyiv and communicating with the Security Service of Ukraine, the country’s domestic intelligence agency, he said.
Ukrainian special forces and paratroopers captured the North Koreans, Mr Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
“As with all prisoners of war, these two North Korean soldiers are receiving the necessary medical assistance,” he said.
“I have instructed the Security Service of Ukraine to grant journalists access to these prisoners.
“The world needs to know the truth about what is happening.”
Mr Zelenskyy said capturing the soldiers alive was “not easy”. He also claimed Russian and North Korean forces fighting in Kursk have tried to conceal the presence of North Korean soldiers, including by killing wounded comrades on the battlefield to avoid their capture and interrogation by Ukraine.
The post included images of the two men – one with a bandage around his jaw and the other around both hands and wrists – and what appeared to be a Russian military document.
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Ukraine’s security service SBU on Saturday provided further details.
It said one of those detained had no documents at all, while the other had been carrying a Russian military ID card in the name of a man from Tuva, a Russian region bordering Mongolia.
“The prisoners do not speak Ukrainian, English or Russian, so communication with them takes place through Korean translators in cooperation with South Korean intelligence,” a statement said.
One of the soldiers claimed he had been told he was going to Russia for training, rather than to fight against Ukraine, according to the SBU.
The agency added both men are being provided with medical care in line with the Geneva Conventions, and investigated “in cooperation with South Korean intelligence”.
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North Korean regular troops entered the war on Russia’s side in October, according to Ukraine and its Western allies.
US, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments suggest up to 12,000 North Korean combat troops have been sent by Pyongyang under a pact with Moscow.
They believe North Korea has also been supplying Russia with vast quantities of artillery shells.
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