{"id":762,"date":"2023-03-20T05:59:26","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T10:59:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeeducationcouncil.com\/blog\/?p=762"},"modified":"2024-06-29T13:58:05","modified_gmt":"2024-06-29T18:58:05","slug":"judge-will-hold-hearing-wednesday-in-case-that-could-block-abortion-pill-nationwide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeeducationcouncil.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/20\/judge-will-hold-hearing-wednesday-in-case-that-could-block-abortion-pill-nationwide\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge Will Hold Hearing Wednesday in Case That Could Block Abortion Pill Nationwide"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"col-sm-12\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-responsive hidden-sm hidden-md hidden-lg post_image shareable-id\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lifenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/judgepic10.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-featured-image hidden-xs\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-data-content post_style_zk\">\n<p>A federal judge in Texas has requested a hearing in a case challenging the Food and Drug Administration\u2019s (FDA) approval of the abortion drug mifepristone.<\/p>\n<p>As\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/catholicvote.org\/battle-over-chemical-abortion-heats-up-in-courts-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>\u00a0by CatholicVote, the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) sued the FDA in November 2022 on behalf of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the Catholic Medical Association, and others. The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/fedsoc.org\/events\/litigation-update-ahm-v-fda-challenging-the-fda-on-chemical-abortion-drugs#:~:text=In%20November%202022%2C%20the%20Alliance,Medicine%20(AHM)%20and%20others.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">suit<\/a>\u00a0contends that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The FDA\u2019s 2000 approval of the chemical abortion cocktail violated the safety standards of due diligence laid out by Congress.<\/li>\n<li>The FDA ignored valid evidence and stonewalled ADF\u2019s clients for over 20 years, recklessly terminating \u201cthe necessary safeguards for women who undergo this controversial drug regimen.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>The FDA violated the U.S. Code \u00a7 1461 by allowing these drugs to be sent by mail.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>According\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.plannedparenthood.org\/uploads\/filer_public\/42\/8a\/428ab2ad-3798-4e3d-8a9f-213203f0af65\/191011-the-facts-on-mifepristone-d01.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">to Planned Parenthood<\/a>, mifepristone is the first of two medications used in a chemical abortion. It blocks the hormone progesterone from reaching the woman\u2019s uterus, breaking down the lining of the uterine wall and killing the child.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The Leak<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Anonymous and unauthorized sources indicated to\u00a0<em>Washington Post<\/em>\u00a0reporters that U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk met with lawyers in Amarillo, TX, last Friday and scheduled the hearing for Wednesday, March 15. According\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2023\/03\/11\/texas-abortion-pill-hearing-kacsmaryk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">to\u00a0<em>The<\/em><em>Washington Post<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>Kacsmaryk scheduled the hearing during a call with attorneys Friday, said multiple people familiar with the call, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it. Kacsmaryk said he would delay putting the hearing on the public docket until late Tuesday to try to minimize disruptions and possible protests, and asked the lawyers on the call not to share information about it before then, the people said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em><strong>Get the latest pro-life news and information on Twitter.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>When a still-unidentified culprit leaked the text of the\u00a0<em>Dobbs<\/em>\u00a0opinion in May 2022, pro-abortion activists\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/05\/18\/dhs-bracing-for-violence-after-supreme-court-abortion-ruling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unleashed<\/a>\u00a0threats and protests targeting the homes of all six pro-life Supreme Court justices,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/catholicvote.org\/pregnancy-center-attack-tracker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pregnancy resource centers<\/a>, and Catholic churches.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Track Record of Violence<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The volume of death threats and actual vandalism prompted the Department of Homeland Security\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/05\/18\/dhs-bracing-for-violence-after-supreme-court-abortion-ruling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">to issue a formal memo<\/a>\u00a0warning that protests were \u201clikely to persist and may increase leading up to and following the issuing of the Court\u2019s official ruling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One suspect was arrested outside the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and later charged with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/07\/27\/politics\/kavanaug\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">plotting to assassinate<\/a>\u00a0three members of the Supreme Court. Acts of vandalism against Catholic churches intensified following the\u00a0<em>Dobbs<\/em>\u00a0decision. This month, CatholicVote\u2019s violence tracker\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/catholicvote.org\/tracker-church-attacks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">surpassed 300 attacks<\/a>\u00a0since May 2020.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<em>Washington Post<\/em>\u2019s anonymous source alleged that \u201cKacsmaryk told the attorneys that he also wanted to delay publicizing the hearing because courthouse members have received threats in the wake of the lawsuit, according to the people familiar with the call.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other anonymous sources told reporters that \u201cthe judge and his family have faced security threats since he ascended to the federal bench in 2019, and those threats have intensified ahead of the abortion pill ruling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is playing with the safety and lives of the judge and everyone involved in the case,\u201d remarked CatholicVote Director of Governmental Affairs Tom McClusky:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>Considering the high level of violence and intimidation, tracked by CatholicVote, from pro-abortion zealots ever since the leaked\u00a0<em>Dobbs<\/em>\u00a0decision, Judge Kacsmaryk is wise to take steps to protect all the parties involved in this case.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2><strong>Bigger than\u00a0<\/strong><strong><em>Dobbs<\/em><\/strong><strong>?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Leftist activists\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2023\/02\/abortion-pill-outlawed-single-judge-real-possibility.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">have characterized the Texas case<\/a>\u00a0as \u201cbigger than\u00a0<em>Dobbs<\/em>,\u201d claiming it could outlaw the chemical abortion drug mifepristone nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>Erik Baptist, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, told CatholicVote, that he \u201cwon\u2019t go so far to make those statements about the ramifications of this case, but we are asking the court to set aside the FDA\u2019s approvals of these dangerous drugs for chemical abortion purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"790\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UX9GCo3qIZQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen title=\"What The FDA Isn&#39;t Telling You\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The case does have far-ranging implications, because ADF is requesting that the court set aside the FDA\u2019s approval of mifepristone and misoprostol for chemical abortion purposes. \u201cAt the same time,\u201d said Baptist, \u201cit\u2019s a reasonable [ask], because the FDA, from beginning to end, has failed to follow the plain requirements of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>&gt;&gt;\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/catholicvote.org\/podcast\/ivf-fda-loopcast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE<\/strong><\/a><strong>\u00a0&lt;&lt;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><strong>\u2018Reckless\u2019 FDA<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>CatholicVote and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) filed an amicus brief in the\u00a0<em>ADF vs. FDA<\/em>\u00a0case from concerned members of Congress.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe FDA\u2019s reckless decisions to approve and deregulate chemical abortion drugs put the profits and political agenda of the abortion industry over the law and abundant evidence that abortion drugs present harm to women, girls, and their unborn babies,\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hydesmith.senate.gov\/hyde-smith-pfluger-lead-bicameral-amicus-brief-challenge-fda-chemical-abortion-regimen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the brief stated<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Charlotte Lozier Institute\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/adflegal.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-02\/AHM-v-FDA-2023-02-10-Amicus-Brief-Charlotte-Lozier-Institute.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">submitted a brief<\/a>\u00a0detailing the lack of medical research and data in the United States surrounding chemical abortion regimens concluding:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>The FDA has made an unjustifiable and unreasonable risk-benefit assessment regarding chemical abortion. The end result is over-the-counter abortion provision dissociated from the medical system entirely, except, of course, for the emergency room physicians who will be called upon to care for the myriad complications.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>A\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/adflegal.org\/case\/alliance-hippocratic-medicine-v-us-food-and-drug-administration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">full list<\/a>\u00a0of the court\u2019s\u00a0<em>amicus<\/em>\u00a0briefs can be found on ADF\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Biden Administration Attempts Work- Arounds<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The lawsuit followed upon the Biden administration\u2019s aggressive response to the overturning of\u00a0<em>Roe v. Wade<\/em>\u00a0in June 2022. The Department of Justice has taken steps to promote chemical abortions even in states like Texas that have robust abortion restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>Attorney General Merrick Garland\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/justice-department-announces-reproductive-rights-task-force\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">established<\/a>\u00a0a \u201creproductive rights task force\u201d in July following the\u00a0<em>Dobbs<\/em>\u00a0decision. One of its express purposes is to \u201cmonitor and evaluate all state and local legislation and enforcement actions that threaten to\u2026 ban mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDA\u2019s expert judgment about its safety.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Late last year, the DOJ\u2019s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC)\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/olc\/opinion\/file\/1560596\/download\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">assured<\/a>\u00a0the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) that federal law does not prohibit sending abortion drugs by mail. The OLC memo states that \u201cfederal law does not prohibit the use of\u201d either drug, which are both FDA approved for no other purpose than to kill and expel an unborn child from a mother.<\/p>\n<p>The use of mail services to send abortion pills directly to women and the sale of mifepristone at the retail level without medical oversight are a sharp departure from past norms. While abortion promoters, including officials within the Biden administration, have endeavored to present the controversial move as safe and routine, the maneuver has been bumpy.<\/p>\n<p>As CatholicVote\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/catholicvote.org\/20-attorneys-general-warn-cvs-walgreens-against-mailing-abortion-drugs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported in early February<\/a>, even the Food and Drug Administration warned of safety concerns over mifepristone as recently as last year:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>The FDA also recently\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/catholicvote.org\/fda-warns-against-telehealth-abortion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voiced concerns<\/a>\u00a0over the safety of abortion-by-mail for mothers\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/catholicvote.org\/chemical-abortions-on-the-rise-post-dobbs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">as demand for chemical abortion pills surged<\/a>\u00a0following the Supreme Court\u2019s Dobbs decision overturning\u00a0<em>Roe v. Wade<\/em>\u00a0in June 2022.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>LifeNews Note: Erika Ahern writes for CatholicVote.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A federal judge in Texas has requested a hearing in a case challenging the Food and Drug Administration\u2019s (FDA) approval of the abortion drug mifepristone. As\u00a0reported\u00a0by CatholicVote, the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) sued the FDA in November 2022 on behalf of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the Catholic Medical Association, and others. The\u00a0suit\u00a0contends that: The&hellip;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/lifeeducationcouncil.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/20\/judge-will-hold-hearing-wednesday-in-case-that-could-block-abortion-pill-nationwide\/\" title=\"Continue reading &lsquo;Judge Will Hold Hearing Wednesday in Case That Could Block Abortion Pill Nationwide&rsquo;\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeeducationcouncil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeeducationcouncil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeeducationcouncil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeeducationcouncil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeeducationcouncil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=762"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lifeeducationcouncil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":763,"href":"https:\/\/lifeeducationcouncil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762\/revisions\/763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeeducationcouncil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeeducationcouncil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeeducationcouncil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}