ATLANTA — A widely used abortion pill could soon be banned across the county. The legal fate of Mifepristone is in the hands of a federal judge in Texas.
For women who are seeking to terminate a pregnancy at home, they could be prescribed a combination of two medications. First, Mifepristone and then one to two days later, Misoprostol.
The lawsuit the judge is weighing in on claims the FDA wrongly approved Mifepristone back in 2000. The suit was filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal advocacy group also linked to the Mississippi case that sparked the overturning of Roe vs Wade.
The move would impact women across the country and in Georgia, limiting abortion options. Georgia's heartbeat bill already limits access to the drug. Pregnant women in Georgia could only be prescribed the this pill if no heartbeat is detected.
Dr. Madeline Sutton, an OBGYN at Grady Hospital, says if the drug is banned, women who are legally allowed to terminate pregnancies in Georgia or in another state could still do so with Misoprostol, but she says the move could lead to more restrictions in the future.
“What we have learned over the years is that there can be some success with just misoprostol," Dr. Sutton said. “I do think we have to be careful when it comes to looking at reproductive rights in general and reproductive access which of these conversations are going to happen next. There could be birth control and other things we routinely have access to that might be next."
In January, the FDA finalized a rule change making more abortion pills available to pharmacies and mail-order companies. This pending decision could take one of those pills off the shelf entirely.